Harry Potter and the Magical Avengers
by PokePotterfan93
Summary: Lily Potter and Tony Stark had been friends since childhood. When Lily and James argue about leaving England for their safety, Lily leaves for a week. How will Lily spending Halloween week with her friend change things? Rated for violence and language.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

 **America - 1997**

Lily Potter née Evans was an average twenty one year old English woman to most of her parents' old friends and to most of her home area. She had married a respectable man and had a beautiful baby boy who she doted on. The secret to Lily however, was that she's a witch. No, she didn't kidnap kids and try to eat them. And she didn't like to fly on a broom. Though she had used Eye of Newt quite a few times. Early in her life Lily had befriended two young boys her age. The first was a wizard by the name of Severus Snape, a young man born into poverty and an abusive home. The second was a muggle by the name of Anthony Stark, though he preferred to be called Tony. Tony was the son of a famous American inventor who shipped him off to England while he dealt with a personal matter.

Life could be cruel though, Lily's friendship with Severus ended when they were fifteen in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, while Tony moved back to England when they were nine yet he still wrote to her all the time.

At the present moment she sat in Tony Stark's huge house in L.A. with tears leaking from her eyes. She was happy when he asked her to hide out over there but upset when James said no. "I'm going to fucking kill him." She shouted. "The lipstick on his collar...the scent of perfume on his skin...I called him earlier and a woman picked up."

Tony laughed at her outburst. "Look, he's young and stupid like you and me. Not to mention his police work must keep him busy. Besides, it could just be someone from that Order thingy."

Lily frowned. "The Aurors have made him retire since he's in hiding." She sighed. "I'm so glad you accidentally found out about magic. It makes it easier than lying..." She said softly. "I have no one else to talk to."

"What about Alice?" He asked softly, pouring her a glass of wine. He heard the door knock. "Damn trick or treaters." He opened the door. "Here," he tossed them some cash, closing the door. "I hate Halloween."

Lily laughed weakly. "So do I. And Alice and Frank are in hiding too." She sighed. "Worst part was, he wasn't let me take Harry trick or treating. I understand that we're in danger, but Harry's too young to be kept indoors all the fucking time."

Tony laughed. "He's only fifteen months old, Lily. He shouldn't be trick or treating yet."

Lily scowled. "Best friends are supposed to agree with each other." She said with a pout.

"Well not when it comes to kids." Tony smirked. "Speaking of, how is the boob sucker?"

Lily slapped his arm. "Stop calling him that. He's fine. I tucked him in and told him I'd be home in a week. I'm going home tomorrow, so I'll at least have my baby boy." She rubbed her hand.

"Whoa, what's with the scar?" Tony asked curiously. He carefully lifted her hand to take a look. "Why is there a lightning bolt on your hand?"

Lily frowned. "I added a protective layer to the wards in the house. If...we're found...it should ensure...that Harry lives." She said softly, her voice cracking nervously.

Tony closed his eyes. "Shouldn't have opened my mouth." He added more wine to the glass. "He'll be fine. And if you need to go home, Jarvis can drive you to the airport now."

She sipped the wine. "No. James gets to hang out with his friends all the time. I'm spending this week with my best friend." She smiled.

Tony shrugged. "So, what are you going to do about James?"

Lily sighed. "I don't know. Divorce isn't an option. The Wizarding World is biased, he'd get full custody of Harry. Not to mention I'd be labelled as a harlot. I don't know if I'll be able to forgive him."

Tony sipped his wine, chuckling. "Personally, I'm the wrong man to talk to about infidelity."

Lily snorted. "Don't I know it. Word around the water cooler is that you were found in the bed of Miss Universe last month."

Tony laughed. "Rumours, nothing more." He smirked, tossing something out of her field of vision.

Lily grinned. "Tony, you never have to hide that stuff from me. I'll never judge you. You slut." She teased at the end.

He pushed her gently. "Coming from the Virgin Lily, that's a compliment."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't think I class as one anymore, what with giving birth and all."

He shook his head. "Fair enough. Let's have a good final night. We're going dancing."

Lily shook her head. "No way. I'm wearing my mom clothes, I have granny panties on and I didn't pack any dresses."

Tony grinned. "There's a shindig in L.A. I'm supposed to be at, and my date cancelled. I had a dress for her."

Lily frowned. "Let me guess, it's just my size?"

Tony walked into his room. "Funnily enough, it is. Plus some underwear and a great pair of shoes. So get dressed, we leave in an hour." He grabbed his mobile.

She sighed, grabbing the dress. It was a lovely little black cocktail dress with matching shoes. She slipped into it. "This fits like a glove." She said softly, fixing the shoes on. "I'm going to kill you, Tony."

He popped his head in. "Why? Black suits you."

She glared at him. "A thong?! The underwear you bought her barely counts as dental floss."

He grinned. "Well usually they don't wear undies." He winked. "Come on, the jags waiting outside."

Lily grabbed her handbag, walking out with him. "I really shouldn't be doing this." She whispered.

Tony looked at her. "We're two friends, just going to a dance in L.A. to end a platonic week of catching up. I'll have you back to Godric's Hollow on my private jet by the early morning."

Lily nodded. "Sure, besides...he cheated on me..."

 **-HS-**

Lily groaned as the alarm clock rang out. She banged it, seeing Jarvis standing over her with a sombre look on his face. "Jarvis, is something wrong?"

He handed over a newspaper. "Mr. Stark has had a subscription to the Daily Prophet since his discovery of the magical world. T-The headline mentions..."

She scanned the headline. "God...no...NOOOOOOOO!" She sobbed harshly. She tossed the paper onto the ground.

Tony sprinted in, seeing the paper. "Lily..?"

 _ **LORD VOLDEMORT DEAD!**_

 _ **POTTER FAMILY FOUND SLAUGHTERED!**_

 _Terrible news from the Ministry of Magic this morning as it was announced that she the bodies of James Potter, Lily Potter and their infant son Harry were found in a Ministry safe house in Godric's Hollow in the early hours of the morning._

 _James Potter (21), Lily Potter (21) and their son Harry (15 months) were found in the infant's nursery with the dead body of He Who Should Not Be Named._

 _Sources close to the Potters say that the young family had been in hiding from the terrorist organisation known as the Death Eaters for over a year now and had been hiding under Fidelius Charm._

 _The body of Lily Potter could not be identified by face as several burns made facial and dental identification impossible, though she was found cradling her son in her arms._

 _It is believed that Lily Potter may have invoked old magic to try and save her son's life. Although she didn't not succeed in saving the life of her child, it is believed that the magic used rebounded and killed the head of the Death Eaters._

 _Minister Bagnold released a statement this morning expressing her sorrow. 'The death of the Potters cements this government's view that LORD VOLDEMORT was nothing more than a racist fearmonger who claimed to be solving what he called the' muggleborn' problem in our society. Yet here is a family with fifteen traceable generations of Pureblooded members slaughtered by someone who claims to save the old lines. The Potters may not have been considered pure anymore since the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Potter, but this family was still respected by all aspects of our society. Let us not forget that Charlus Potter himself was one of the biggest philanthropists this country has ever seen. For this reason the Ministry has decided to hold a state funeral for the young family who died fighting against bigotry.'_

 _We at the Prophet wish any family of the deceased our greatest sympathies. Celebrations have been organised by the Ministry to remember those lost in the war against He Who Must Not Be Named and to celebrate a new beginning._

Lily shook with tears. "I told him I hated him...I shouted at him and slammed the door in his face when he told me he loved me...I walked away from him..." She looked up at Tony. "I danced and drank while my family was murdered..."

Tony held onto her, trying to keep himself from crying. "Jarvis...s-see what time the next flight to England is...b-book four tickets."

Lily shook her head. "I'm not going back..." She sobbed. "There's nothing there for me anymore. My parents are gone...Petunia hates me and Alice has her own family to care for..." She held onto him. "They died while I was having fun...my baby's dead..." She sobbed harder.

Tony frowned. "Jarvis, go to the bathroom and get me some valium."

Lily wiped her eyes. "Get that paper away from me...please. I never want to see anything magical again...the Wizarding World cost me everything..."

He nodded. "Jarvis, cancel the subscription to the Daily Prophet while you're at it."

Jarvis nodded, returning with a glass of water and two pills. "Please Mrs. Potter, take these." He placed the pills in her hand.

Lily took the pills, drinking the water. "She was holding my son. His whore was holding my son...he died in a strange woman's arms." She said in a hollow voice.

Tony rubbed her back. "I'm so sorry, Lily..." He whispered. "If I hadn't invited you out here..."

"Then I'd be dead too...only I'd of died holding onto my son's lifeless body..." Lily lay down on the bed. "They think I'm dead..."

 **England - 12 hours earlier**

James placed his head in his hands. "She thinks I'm cheating on her..." He said sadly. Rachel Smith chuckled softly. "Don't worry James, I've got two Aurors ready and a realistic looking baby doll. When she gets back, the three of you can go on a holiday and she'll laugh about all this."

He shook his head. "The look she gave me...I've only ever seen it once before in my life...when she stopped talking to Snape."

She pat his back. "James relax." She heard a phone ring. "That's probably the Auror." She picked up the phone. "Hello?"

James watched her hang up. "Well?"

"I don't know. Whoever it was just hung up." She shrugged. "I'll stay here tonight so it looks like Lily's here. I've enough Polyjuice to last the night." She assured him.

James sighed. "Thanks Rachel. I'd be lost without the best damn partner possible."

She smiled. "Actually, I'm in hiding too. But I don't mind pulling some strings. I've been an Auror for twelve years, I've earned a good few favours."

He smiled weakly. "Thanks. I'm going to check on Harry. He's really lost without Lily around. He's such a momma's boy."

She smirked. "You say that like it's a bad thing." She teased, taking the potion. "Lily got a hairbrush? I need some hair."

He walked into the kitchen, grabbing the hairbrush. "Here, I'll be down in a minute." He said softly.

She nodded, taking the potion once she had the hair added. She walked up to the nursery. "Maybe if I hold him it might help. Since I look like Lily."

James nodded, handing Harry to her. "Hopefully. He hasn't slept well without her." He admitted.

She rocked him asleep, hearing a loud bang. "What was that?!"

Harry started sobbing as he saw someone burst through the door. Voldemort pointed his wand at James and 'Lily' Potter. "Hand over the boy and I will allow you to live." He said coldly.

Rachel tightened her hold on Harry. "You're not taking him." She said determinedly.

James tried to find his wand. "I'll kill you, Voldemort." He shouted.

Voldemort pointed his wand at James. "Avada Kedavra!" He blasted James with the Killing Curse.

"James!" She shouted, backing away from Voldemort. "Hand over the boy and you can live." He snapped.

"No. N-Not my son." She said, trying to stay in character. "Please not him..."

Voldemort frowned, casting the Killing Curse on her. He pointed his wand at Harry. "To think a child was supposed to defeat me. Goodbye Harry Potter. Avada Kedavra!" He shouted, feeling his soul shred from his body. He fled the room as a wraith, feeling his soul weaken further.

Two hours later Sirius Black walked towards the house, seeing the collapsed roof. "JAMES! LILY!" He sprinted to the house. He saw a figure leave. "H-Hagrid?" He frowned. "What are you doing here? James? Lily?"

Hagrid frowned at him. "Dead I'm afraid..." He said sadly. "Dumbledore sent me to check on them when the wards flared up. James and Lily were dead in the nursery. Harry's alive, but he's got a scar, Sirius. Dumbledore told me to bring them to Hogwarts. I have to bring him to the castle."

Sirius nodded. "M-My bike's down the street...take it. I'll be by the castle soon for Harry. I am his godfather after all...Remus and I are all he has now..." He ran off after kissing Harry's forehead with only one thought on his mind. The rat was going to die.

 **-HS-**

 **2003**

The first few years passed slowly for Lily after the announcement of her family's death. She snapped her wand that day, washing her hands from the Wizarding World. Tony had gotten a new identity set up for her a few weeks after the news hit. Lily Potter was officially dead, now only Virginia Potts existed, though in private Tony and Jarvis still referred to her as Lily. She told him to refer to her as Pepper in public and faked several credentials that were needed to become his 'personal assistant' since he offered the position.

Some days were easy for her, while others were just hell. Babies were something she just couldn't be around anymore and it was that fact that made it easier to work for Tony. He had just taken the CEO position in Stark Industries and had moved her into the house with him and Jarvis.

With time she found herself growing closer to Tony and becoming more than just his friend. She never forgave herself for the words she had said to James before she left. And she had decided never to have another child in her life.

Tony of course was unaware of her feelings and continued his playboy image. She didn't mind, she wasn't really ready to open her heart again. Halloween, January and July were the hardest times for her. Christmases weren't easier either, but Tony and Jarvis made it bareable.

She sat down on one of the chairs, sipping a cup of tea as she had a rare break. She heard the door open. "Hello Jarvis." She smiled. "How are you feeling?"

Jarvis smiled weakly. "I'm as well as can be. She'd been ill for some time now." He sat across from her.

Lily placed her hand on his. "It still must be hard." She whispered.

Jarvis poured himself some tea. "If anyone would know it would be you, Lily. Come to think of it...how are you today?" He asked softly.

She raised an eyebrow. "What's..?" She dropped her cup. "It's the 31st..." She whispered. How could she have forgotten about it? She never forgot. "He would've been seven years old today..." She put her hand over her mouth. "Crap. The cup..."

Jarvis handed her a handkerchief. "Don't fret over the cup." He smiled kindly. "Seven years old. May I ask you something?"

She nodded. "Of course."

He poured her a fresh cup of tea. "Do you do anything on his birthday?"

She shook her head. "It's...too painful to do anything." She whispered sadly.

"I think you should." He sipped his tea. "My dear brother lost his wife and two children in the war. On their birthdays he'll eat something they liked. He'll do something they'd like to do. Sometimes he just visited their graves."

Lily sat down across from him again. "I can't..." She whimpered. "I can't go back there. I failed him...Jarvis. That spell should've saved him. I read the spellbooks for weeks."

He looked at her. "Lily, you did all you could. He wouldn't want you to blame yourself."

She bit her lip. "He was too young to understand why he was killed..." She kissed his cheek. "My break is over." She placed two files on the table. "Undertakers and the local synagogue. I rang them earlier today." She smiled sadly.

He stroked her hand. "You're a blessing, Lily. Thank you." He said softly, kissing her hand.

"I'm here for you and Tony whenever you need me." She whispered softly. Six months later Jarvis had continued his duties, wearing his wife's favourite flower to remember her.

 **2008**

She was a nervous wreck. Tony had been kidnapped by terrorists and no one could find him. She sat rocking her legs in her arms, tears falling down her eyes. Rhody had came by a few times to check in on her and to give her updates on the search. She sighed as the phone rang. "Jarvis, could you answer the phone please?"

The beep activated. "Pepper?" A voice called out. "It's James. We've found him." Rhodes' chuckled through the line. "He's on his way state side. I'm sending an army escort to pick you up."

Lily wiped her eyes. "Can I talk to him?"

"He's asleep right now. Apparently a surgeon who had been locked up with him saved his life. He's got some weird thing on his chest." Rhodes explained. "He's alive, Pepper. Don't worry."

She hung up the phone, grabbing her bag. "Jarvis, I want you to contact Obadiah Stane. Tell him that Tony's back and I'm bringing him straight to the hospital."

"Of course, Miss Potts. You make sure that imbecile knows how worried we've been." He responded.

Lily fixed her make up as much as she could, walking out to the escort once she heard the horn beep. Once the car arrived at the landing strip she ran towards the plane, smiling as she saw him.

Tony began walking towards her, smiling with his arm in a sling. "Some tears for your long lost boss?"

Lily chuckled weakly. "Tears of joy, updating my résumé would've been hell."

He smirked. "Well vacations over. Now come on, I want an American burger and then I want you to hold a press conference."

She shook her head, things would never change.

 **A/N: Ok, so I decided to make this chapter a lead up to the main plot of the story. I hope you all enjoyed it and I'll see you all in two weeks.**


	2. Time Heals No Wounds

**Ok, so I took this as a challenge to keep my writer's block away. It's my first official crossover fic. For this the ages of the potterverse characters have been changed since the Iron Man movieverse is 21st century. I'm also including characters from the Marvel Comic Universe too. I hope you enjoy it.**

 **Chapter One: Time Heals No Wounds**

Lily walked out of the main conference of the Expo committee room, catching her breath. It'd been nearly a year since Tony had made her the CEO of Stark Industries and two months since their secret wedding. Life had become hectic since Tony became known as Iron Man and she had spent that time finally coming to terms as best she could with Harry's death. She missed him, and she missed James to a degree, but she realised that a part of her had to move on. It was July 30th and she was planning to finally visit the final resting place of her husband and son. She hated being back in England, but Tony's bloody expo had to stop off for two months.

She smiled as his arm snaked around her waist. "How's the Iron Baby?"

She scowled. "Don't call him or her that!" She whispered. Her pregnancy had been a huge surprise. Tony had spoken to her the night they found out about the baby. She reminded him that she never wanted to have another child, losing Harry had been too hard. After a lot of tears and an agreement that the baby would be safe she agreed to keep the baby and Tony proposed there and then. Of course they were keeping the news out of the public's attention.

He chuckled. "Couldn't resist." He kissed her cheek. "I've the transportation and security all set for Godric's Hollow tomorrow. You agreed to go and I've already gotten you the day off."

She nodded. "He would've been fourteen tomorrow. Probably have a girlfriend who'd drag him to that tea shop in Hogsmeade. I know it's time to see him, I have to...I have to see them..."

Tony nodded, walking around the Expo with her. "This new arc reactor is great. I'm pretty sure my liver is cleaning up years of partying thanks to it working overtime."

Lily frowned as she spotted the instantly recognisable face of her sister. "That's Petunia...why does she have to be here today..." She sighed. "Can we go-"

"You bloody freak, what the hell do you think you're doing?" She shouted at a young man. It wasn't her son, no Lily knew that Dudley had to have been the one beside Vernon, she could see the resemblance from the portly boy who had a disgusting smirk on his face.

Lily hated seeing any child being mistreated, especially after losing Harry. The thought of any child being unloved made her blood boil. She charged over to them, clearing her throat. "Excuse me, is there a problem here?"

Petunia turned to her, all colour draining from her face. "I-Impossible."

Lily grabbed the young man, hiding him from the Dursleys. "You ok kid?" Tony asked.

The young man nodded. "I'm fine, sir."

Lily frowned. "It's possible, believe me. Who do you think you are, attacking the poor kid like that?"

Petunia looked at Harry. "T-They said...you were..."

Lily scowled. "Get the fuck out of here, right now! Before I call the police."

Vernon pushed close to her. "See here, my wife was shouting at someone who was obviously up to no good. Who do you think you are, talking to my wife like that?"

Petunia nervously reached out, touching her face. A nervous sweat began to drip from her brow. "It is you...L-Lily..."

Lily looked at her. "You're a vile woman for attacking this poor kid, I mean his parents aren't here to back him up. Who do you think you are?"

Petunia shook slightly. "W-What kind of freakishness did you use to come back?"

Lily scoffed. "I just sacrificed your soul to Satan." She said sarcastically. She noticed the boy still had no one looking for him, so she turned to him. "What's your name, sweetheart?" She asked softly.

Petunia frowned. "D-Don't speak to strangers." She warned him nervously.

"You keep your mouth shut!" Lily warned. She knelt down to him. "May I have your name please?"

The boy looked at her. "H-Harry ma'am, Harry Potter." He frowned at his aunt.

Lily's hand went to her mouth. "I-It can't be..." She whispered.

Harry frowned. Her shock must have been about his whole boy-who-lived image. "I can prove it." He moved his fringe, showing a lightning bolt scar.

Lily fainted at the sight. Tony caught her just in time. "Could you please come with me, Harry?" He asked as calmly as he could.

Harry frowned. "Who are you?"

Tony chuckled. "Tony Stark. As in the Stark Expo and Stark Industries."

Harry blushed. "Sorry sir. I didn't recognise you without the...you know, the armour."

Tony smiled. He brought Harry and Lily to the private penthouse. He waited until Lily regained consciousness. "You ok?"

Lily looked over at Harry. "He can't be him..."

Harry frowned. "What do you want? Thank you for stopping my aunt, but I'm probably going to be grounded for the rest of the summer now for embarrassing her in public like that."

Tony grabbed a small device. "Put your finger on this." He said quickly.

Harry shook his head. "What do you want with me..?"

Lily sat up. "W-What's your date of birth, Harry?"

Harry backed away. "July 31st...1996. A-Are you going to hurt me..? I-I'll scream for help..."

Lily shook her head. "Is your middle name James..?"

Harry frowned. "H-How do you know that..?"

Tears began to fall from Lily eyes. "It can't be...they said you died..."

"Who are you?!" He shouted.

"Her name is Virginia Stark." Tony said softly. "She's had that name for a long time. But thirteen years ago her name was Lily Potter."

Harry pulled his wand out. "My mother died along with my father when I was a baby..."

Lily stood up. "I'm telling you the truth." She whispered. "And what did you mean Petunia will ground you? She's not on your guardian list." She whispered. "The device my husband is trying to use is a DNA sampler. It's to check genetics." She took it off Tony, placing her finger on it. "It takes some blood. Would you mind using it?"

Harry stared into her eyes. They were the same shining green as his. He timidly pressed his finger onto it.

"J.A.R.V.I.S, test the blood. We're looking for a maternal match." Tony said softly.

 _"The DNA is a match sir. Mrs. Stark is the boy's mother."_ A synthetic voice explained.

Harry looked at her. "It...it has to be wrong..." He started hyperventilating. "M-My mum's buried with my dad...Dumbledore told me so...Remus was at the funeral..."

Lily sat him down. "Harry?" She handed him a brown paper bag. "Breath into this."

Harry took the bag. "You said I was dead...how could you think that?"

Lily frowned. "The Daily Prophet..." She looked at Tony. "Where is it?"

He crossed his arms. "Lily...do you really think it's appropriate?"

Harry stared at them. "Show it to me!" He shouted.

Tony opened his briefcase, taking out an old clipping. "I kept this. This is from the 1st of November, I mostly kept it because your mom had a little break down when she found out..." He handed it to Harry.

Harry scanned the article, his breathing returning to a normal state. "It says you died too..."

Lily bit her lip. "I read that on November 1st at 7am...it's a long story."

Harry frowned. "I have time." He said in a neutral tone.

Lily sighed. "Ok." She whispered softly, sitting across from him. "Tony and I have been friends for years. When he was a child his father shipped him here for a couple of years with his mother. We kept in touch through our respective teenage years and when I married your father, Tony was on the guest list."

Tony laughed. "The day I went down the rabbit hole."

Lily held Harry's hand. "Tony learnt about magic that day by accident. Instead of obliviating him like we were supposed to, James and I decided to keep him in the fold."

Harry looked at Tony. "How long have you been married to my mother?" He asked, his voice strained.

"Two months now." Tony smiled at her. "We've been a couple for a little longer though."

Harry turned to Lily. "And you never thought about coming to check if I could've lived?" His voice turned colder than before as he asked the question.

Lily's eyes watered as she looked at him. "I...I felt so ashamed." She whispered. "The week before your father died, I suspected him of cheating on me. He'd come home late from supposed meetings smelling of perfume and lipstick stains on his collar."

Tony placed his hand on her shoulder. "Your mother had expressed interest in hiding out in America. So I invited you, James and your mum over for a week. But..."

Lily sighed. "James didn't want to go. We argued for a while and then I put you in your cot, kissed your forehead and told you I'd be home in a week."

Harry swallowed the lump in his throat, sniffling. "W-Was he cheating?"

Lily shrugged. "I don't know. I called on Halloween but a woman answered. I..." She whimpered. "I went out with Tony as a friend to finish our catch up." She whispered.

Harry wiped his tears away. "I need more proof. Dumbledore told me your body was found holding me."

Lily rubbed his back. "Do you have a way of contacting Dumbledore?"

He shook his head. "School's closed..."

Lily sighed. "Does he still hold positions in the Ministry?"

He nodded. "He's still the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot." He said softly. "But I don't know where the Ministry of Magic is."

Lily sighed again. "I do... "

"Lily..." Tony stroked her cheek. "Are you sure about this?"

She nodded, holding onto Harry's hand. "I am so sorry sweetheart. I should've came back...but I washed my hands of the Wizarding World after...I thought I lost you..."

Harry gulped. He wanted to believe this woman, but with Pettigrew on the loose and Sirius still on the run, it wasn't easy. "If you are my mother...does that mean I get to live with you?"

Lily nodded. "Of course you can, sweetheart." She whispered.

Harry thought for a moment. "Who was the secret keeper?"

"Wormtail." She whispered. "It was your godfather's idea. I liked it, Peter was always trustworthy."

Harry frowned. "No he wasn't...h-he sold us out." He said coldly.

Lily gasped. "Did they catch him?"

Harry's eyes stared at nothing. "Sirius went after him...Peter lobbed off his finger and ran away as a rat after killing twelve muggles. Until last year Sirius was in Azkaban."

Lily frowned. "He's free now?"

Harry shook his head. "He escaped to help me. He's on the run." He whispered sadly.

Lily looked at Tony. "Get Happy and have a car brought here on the double. Tell him to set everything up. I want us at this location," She scribbled down an address. "In an hour."

Harry played with his hands. "I think I need some air..." He whispered.

Tony noticed Harry's breathing hadn't fully recovered. He helped him up and brought him outside. "So...um...I suppose I'm your stepfather."

Harry played with his sleeve. "If she is who she says she is...then yeah." He shrugged.

"You don't believe her?" He asked curiously, leaning against the wall.

Harry sat on the footpath. "In my experience, when something's too good to be true, it usually is. Maybe she is my mother, if so then karma has finally decided to stop shitting on my life. If not, then someone else has decided to take the piss."

Tony sighed. "Look, I'm not sure what I can say to convince you, Lily spent years trying to life without the pain of losing you. In her heart she still loves James, but I don't think it's as strong as her love for you. Now, enough soppy shit. Come on, we've a dumb old door to see."

Harry chuckled weakly. "Dumbledore." He corrected him.

Tony nodded. "J.A.R.V.I.S, contact Lily and tell her Harry's waiting in the car." He opened the door for Harry. "If Happy gives you any problems you have my permission to fire him."

The man in the driver's seat laughed. "Can't fire me anymore, Red's the boss now."

Harry waited for the two people to return. "So, you work for the Starks?"

Happy nodded. "I'm Mrs. Stark's head of security and personal chauffeur. And you are?"

"If I told you I'm her son would you believe me?" Harry asked sarcastically.

Happy frowned. "Don't be a dick. Pepper lost her son when he was a baby. Little punk."

Lily got into the car, frowning. "Don't call him a punk."

Happy sighed. "He's claiming to be Harry, Pep. I was warning him to show respect."

"Happy Hogan, meet Harry Potter." Lily's voice had a sharp tone to it.

Happy turned to the wheel. "Everyone buckled up?" He asked quickly. "Here we go."

 **-HS-**

Lily walked through Diagon Alley with Tony and Harry, walking into Gringotts. She smiled at Harry, clearing her throat once they got to the teller. "I'd like to speak to Goblin Sharptooth about the Potter Account."

Harry frowned. "Why are we here?"

Lily placed a hand on his shoulder. "One second sweetheart." She placed a chain on the table.

The Goblin's eyes widened as he left the room for a second. "Why are we here?" Harry asked again.

Lily knelt down to him. "I'm going to prove I'm your mother." She held the chain. "This is the official Potter Family Lady's Signet Ring. Only the wife of the head of house can wear it. If I was dead, it'd be in the vault."

Harry nodded. "Ok." He looked away from her. He didn't want her to see the hope in his eyes. Too many people had let him down before.

Lily watched as the Goblin ushered them into a room. "Sharptooth, it's been a long time." She bowed her head.

Harry and Tony mimicked her. Sharptooth observed her carefully. "Lily Potter. It's...well I'm shocked to say the least. May I ask how you are alive?"

Lily explained her week in America with Tony and the fight between her and James. "I saw my son being berated by my sister and her husband. Sharptooth, was the will not enacted?"

Sharptooth shook his head. "Dumbledore came to us and explained that Harry was still alive. Until the trials were done they were going to hide the fact. We sealed the will when we realised that Sirius was imprisoned, Peter was dead...and Remus was refused by the Ministry. Werewolf laws have gotten stricter, Lily."

Lily sighed. "I see. Could you request Dumbledore's presence please? If he's sealed the will then he's the only one who can unseal it." She rubbed her forehead.

Harry sat motionless. "Y-You really are her...but you were in the nursery...I was found in your arms..." His voice was barely above a whisper, tears falling down his cheeks. "They said you were dead..."

Lily wrapped her arms around him. "Shh, it's me baby boy." She whispered, letting silent tears fall.

Sharptooth left the room to contact the Ministry. Tony placed his hand on Lily's shoulder. "I'll have Jarvis prepare the extra bed in the penthouse." He whispered. "We'll swing by his aunt's place to get his stuff."

Harry kept his hold on her. "I always wished for this day...except..."

She kissed his forehead. "Your dad's alive when you wish it?" She asked softly.

Harry nodded. "I can't wait to tell Hermione and Ron about this."

Lily smiled. "Are they you're friends?" She asked with genuine interest.

Harry grinned. "Yeah. Hermione's a muggleborn, she mental smart. Ron's a real expert in Quidditch and wizard's chess."

She watched as Sharptooth came back in. "Dumbledore will meet you in conference room five. I've informed him of everything."

Lily thanked him, walking to the conference room with Tony and Harry. She smiled a little as she spotted Dumbledore. "You haven't aged a day, Headmaster."

Dumbledore couldn't believe it when Sharptooth told him that Lily Potter had re-entered the mortal coil. But the second he saw those eyes and heard her voice, he knew it had to be her. "It is true..." He said in disbelief. "How?"

Lily explained for what felt like the millionth time about the week in America and her concerns that James had been cheating on her. She bit her lip as she sat down. "I snapped my wand and said I'd never return to the Wizarding World...Tony cancelled his subscription to the Prophet and I avoided all things magical." She looked up at Dumbledore. "Why did you report him dead?"

Dumbledore sat across from her. "The death of Voldemort caused serious problems for the Ministry and for England, Lily. I saw the scar on his head and knew you had activated ancient runes that only worked with blood family of you or James. After all you had borrowed the book from my personal library. Sirius was thought to be a traitor and the only option I could think of was your sister."

Harry frowned a little when he heard Petunia being mentioned. "I'm not going back to the Dursleys."

Lily smiled at him. "Of course you're not. You'll be living with me and Tony."

Dumbledore looked at them. "How long have you been married to Mr. Stark?"

Lily sighed. "Two months..." She bit her lip. Harry already seemed to be overwhelmed by all the shocks and she didn't want to pile things on him. "W-When we found out we were..."

Harry stared at her curiously. "Were what?"

Lily held his hand. "Since I found out I was pregnant, Harry. You're going to have a sibling in about four months time..."

Harry's eyes widened again and he collapsed onto the floor. Tony picked him up, chuckling weakly. "I think it got too much for him."

Dumbledore smiled at Lily. "Harry's not had the best life with your sister. I'd like to discuss things with you once you've settled with him. I'll personally send a house elf to Privet Drive to collect his things. It's good to see you, Lily. Or is it Pepper to me?"

She looked at Tony. "I think it's time I just went by Lily Stark."

He nodded. "Ok, Pep." He teased her. "Thank you, Mr. Dumbledore." He added after a moment.

Dumbledore smiled kindly at him. "Mr. Stark, I'd like you to be part of these conversations." He turned to Lily. "You'll be required to prove you're Lily Potter in the Ministry. I'll set it up for August first. 2:30."

Lily nodded, laying Harry's head on her lap. She stroked his hair lovingly. "Dumbledore..?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Would my word clear Sirius?" She asked softly.

He nodded. "A memory of James casting the Fidelius Charm and naming Peter Secret Keeper will prove without a doubt that he's not the traitor. And his memory of the day Pettigrew escaped will exonerate him from murder charges."

Lily smiled. "Please have it organised. Harry hopefully has a way to contact him." She handed him a card. "Please dress like a muggle when you come to the penthouse." She smiled as Tony picked Harry up. "I'm bringing him...home."

Dumbledore nodded. "Lily?"

She turned to him. "Yes?"

He smiled sadly, bowing his head. "I'm sorry for making you live through that pain for all those years."

She kissed his cheek. "You were protecting him, sir. Just like Charlus would've done for your grandchildren." She left with Tony and Harry, heading to the penthouse.

Tony placed Harry in bed and fixed a blanket over him. "You ok?"

Lily nodded, kissing Harry's forehead. "I have my son, my husband and another baby on the way, I'm fine." She promised. "I need to get him a gift." She sighed. "I don't know a thing about him."

Tony looked at her. "It seems like the Professor knows him. He may have an idea."

 **A/N: I'll be the first to say I'm not the biggest fan of Dumbledore or Ron, so I'm going to limit any bashing of them in this story. The story will be updated on Thursdays from here on out. Also I'm not bashing James, Lily will learn that he was faithful and soon. Until next time, hope you enjoyed it.**


	3. Surprise!

**Chapter Two: Surprise!**

Lily sat with Tony and Dumbledore in the penthouse's kitchen. "Thank you for coming, Albus." She poured him a cup of cocoa. "Two marshmallows and a hint of vanilla."

He chuckled. "Fifteen years and you still remember." He sipped it slowly. "What I tell you in this room cannot be repeated by anybody. Understood?"

Both of them nodded.

"Very well." He produced a thick file. "Harry's medical files for the last three years. Lily, I've been meaning to take a case out against the Dursleys. Unfortunately your runes meant wards could only be erected around a family home." He sighed. "Malnutrition, broken bones and severe emotional abuse are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Harry's wows." He wiped a tear from his eyes. "The severe beatings stopped when he got his Hogwarts letter, but minor ones have unfortunately occurred."

Lily gripped the table. "Are you telling me my son was abused?" She asked, her voice as cold as ice.

Albus nodded solemnly. "Poppy came into my office soon after the begin of year physical. The report was simply disgusting and I apologise with every fibre of my being."

Tony sipped a glass of scotch, glaring at the man in front of him. "You said you're meaning to? Why aren't those bastards behind bars right now?"

Albus took a deep breath. "Several high profile Death Eaters managed to plead innocent through claiming the Imperius. If you're not aware of that spell, Mr. Stark, it controls a person's actions. Now, Harry's family on James' side is partially related to every single one of those people. Harry is hidden well under wards...if I had taken action...the closest claim of family would be one Narcissa Malfoy. Since you are unfamiliar with the names of Magical families, Mr. Stark allow me to explain. Narcissa Malfoy is the wife of one Lucius Malfoy, one of Voldemort's inner circle who escaped conviction. If he had gained custody of Harry, he would have be dead in a week and the evidence covered up. For Harry's very safety it had to be Petunia."

Lily frowned. "You kept watch on him, didn't you?"

Albus sighed. "The wards restricted all except the caster." He closed his eyes. "I'm sorry Lily, I tried my best..."

Lily took a small breath, trying to keep her emotions in control. "I'm willing to forgive you on one condition, Albus. I want her and that fat fuck eating prison food. And if Petunia is still a gossipy bitch, then I want everyone around her area to know about it."

Albus nodded. "For now, do not let Harry know that people are aware of it, he's such a personal person."

Lily sighed. "Ok. Now what can you tell me about his friends?"

Albus chuckled. "Harry maintains a good relationship with all his fellow Gryffindor housemates. He is however very close to his teammates on the house team and his friendship with Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley." He smiled. "Remus only came back into his life this past year as has Sirius."

Lily nodded, tapping the table. "Could you contact his friends about a surprise party for him tomorrow?" She asked curiously. "Also...I know this is asking a lot...but do you know what kind of things he likes?"

Albus thought for a moment. "Magic. Anything magical creates a sense of amazement for him."

Lily smiled. "I was the same when I found out about magic." She whispered. "I suppose Diagon Alley is needed again. I'll need a new wand and to do some shopping."

Albus handed her an ornate key. "The vault key. It's been kept safe. I also have bank statements to show that the funds have not been pilfered."

Lily sipped her tea. "I trust you, Albus."

Albus nodded, standing up. "I'll have his friends here tomorrow." He left the penthouse, leaving the two adults to work on a party.

Lily rubbed her forehead. "Do you have any suits that can destroy a house in Surrey?"

Tony rubbed her back in gentle motions. "Sweetheart, you need you to relax." He whispered softly. "Go take a nap and I'll contact one of Stark Industries best lawyers to review the evidence."

Lily sighed. "I can't. I have to work on Harry's party. This is the only chance I have to show my son that I haven't...that he's always been in my thoughts."

Tony kissed her forehead. "I'll have Jarvis go and get a cake made. I have a friend, she can have a six foot naked model cake within a few hours."

Lily glared. "Teenager's party, not a Tony Stark party."

Tony grinned. "It could be. I can have a set of dancers here that'll make him the coolest kid in school."

Lily rubbed her forehead. "I'm married to a toddler brained idiot." She put her feet on the sofa. "Maybe a nap is needed." She yawned.

Tony picked her up. "Not here. You're going to bed." He grinned.

"I can walk!" She said simply. "I don't need to be carried."

"Shh now, you're not too big for a spanking." She frowned, instantly thinking of Harry's life with her sister. "Sorry..."

"It's fine..." Lily closed her eyes. "Bring Jarvis with you. It's not that I don't trust you, it's that my son's friends will not have strippers as their first impression of me."

Tony laid her on the bed, kissing her for a moment. "Now, you sleep while Jarvis and I get to work on the best party possible." Lily's eyes closed as she felt the pillow beneath her head. He walked out of the penthouse. "J.A.R.V.I.S, please contact your fleshy counterpart and tell him that a car is picking him up at the Ritz."

 _"Of course, sir. Shall I prepare the mark nine?"_

"No. Need to keep a low profile. Best send the Jag." He smirked.

 _"Of course, sir. Very subtle indeed."_

Tony turned to Happy. "You stay in that penthouse. If the kid wakes up, keep him busy." He instructed.

Happy frowned. "Is he really her son?"

Tony nodded. Happy and the main circle of people Lily worked with were told that her husband and son had died in a car accident. "Turns out he was badly injured, but he lived. The newspaper reported it too early."

Happy nodded. "Kid's a smartass."

Tony smirked. "You'll learn to deal with it. Take him out if you can. Lily wants this all to be a surprise."

"Gun or garrot?" He asked.

"If I was you, I wouldn't let Lily here you say that. You'll be dead."

Happy paled a little. "Ok. I'll be careful."

Tony heard the roar of his car's engine. "Here's my ride." He laughed. "You're late old timer." He grinned.

Jarvis chuckled. "It has been a while since I've driven on an English road, sir."

Tony placed his belt on. "First stop, Susanna Darling's bakery."

Jarvis nodded. "How is she?"

He shrugged. "It's hard to judge right now. I think the kid's more shocked than she is."

Jarvis fixed his mirror. "Is the boy accepting of all this? I imagine it must be rather difficult for him to come to terms with."

Tony glanced out the window at the people passing by. "I have no clue. He fainted when he heard Lily was pregnant, so I'm not hopeful that he'll accept all this."

Jarvis stopped at the red light. "Well sir, you are quite difficult to get along with, and I've known you all your life."

Tony laughed. "And people wonder why I haven't made you retire."

"Well you have replaced most of my duties with a floppy disk."

 _"I resent that statement."_

"Does that blasted thing have to be on all the time?" He frowned. "He is nowhere

as well mannered in proper protocol as I am."

 _"Downloading all files on the subject of butler protocol."_ Tony smirked as J.A.R.V.I.S activated his memory algorithms. _"Download complete."_

"You may have the knowledge, but you do not have the heart of a butler." Jarvis said in a haughty tone.

Tony shook his head as they finally arrived. "I'll be right back. Keep the engine running."

Jarvis chuckled. "You must think me a fool. Lily called me when you summoned the Jaguar. I have explicit instructions not to allow you to go insane."

Tony clicked his fingers. "Dammit. There goes my plans." He put his glasses on. He opened the door, putting on his biggest smile for the woman behind the counter. "Susanna! I need a favour."

Susanna raised an eyebrow. "£50,000." She said instantly. "Liquorice nips or something flashier?"

He chuckled. "I was thinking just a cake. Maybe red velvet or a hearty Mississippi mud pie?"

She looked at him. "£40. I'm guessing it's for a party so it'll be eighteen inches."

Tony smiled. "Thank you, you're a lifesaver."

 **-HS-**

Harry frowned as he woke up, seeing Hedwig in her cage. "I guess it was just a dream girl...or a nightmare...I don't know which one."

Hedwig turned her head at him, hooting.

"I guess this place does look different." He walked out of the room, exploring the area. He spotted the driver from earlier. "So it wasn't a dream."

Happy heard a voice, jumping up from his seat. "Ow. Announce yourself or something."

Harry raised his eyebrow. "You're supposed to be the head of security?"

Happy nodded. "Yeah, that's right."

"I'm guessing you're Tony's friend?" He smirked.

Happy frowned. "You're lucky you're the boss's kid."

Harry sat down. "I suppose I am the boss's kid..." He said nervously.

He scoffed. "So, what do you do for fun? You're not a drinker, are you?"

"I like to be around my friends." He checked the clock. "It's 3a.m.?"

Happy nodded. "Yep. Your mom said you fainted."

Harry frowned. "Well you try finding out your long thought deceased mother is actually alive and married to a billionaire, expecting a baby and thought you were dead, then YOU try and see if you'd be ok."

Happy couldn't help but see his point. "Fair enough kid. I'm Happy Hogan by the way." He held out his hand.

Harry shook it. "Harry Potter."

Happy grabbed a container from the fridge. "Your mom didn't know what you like, so there's beef, pork, chicken and duck stir fry."

Harry's stomach growled. "The duck please. Also can you pick out some of the pork please? My owl treats ran out last week."

Happy grabbed some pork pieces. "Ok, so what's up with the owl?"

Harry placed the food onto a plate, placing it in a microwave. "She's my pet."

Happy shook his head. "A dog not good enough?"

"Hedwig's smarter than most humans." Harry said simply.

He yawned. "That reminds me. Your mom said you've to contact your godfather. Apparently she's managed to get in touch with people to review his case or something. She needs you to get in touch with him."

Harry nodded quickly. "I'll go send him a..." He remembered Happy was a muggle. "I left my phone in the bedroom. I'll go and get it." He ran to the room Hedwig was in, writing a letter to Sirius. "Girl, get this to Sirius as fast as possible." He tied it to her leg after he fed her some pork.

Happy took his food from the microwave. "Here you go." He grabbed him a fork.

Harry smiled, sitting down. "Thanks. So, have you worked for Tony long?"

Happy grabbed himself a beer. "Started working for Tony in '94. I had just been laid off from my old job and as luck would have it, as I walked out of the building to go home, some idiot hit me with a damn Ferrari."

Harry took a bite of his food. "Did you ever find out who it was?"

Happy laughed. "Tony freaking Stark. Guy comes out of the car and starts looking for damage." He shrugged. "So he finally turns to me, takes off his sunglasses and says 'You know that's about $3,500 for a new paint job?' so I'm on the ground and all I can think of is I'm fucked."

Harry frowned. "He made you pay for the damage?"

Happy shook his head. "He asked me if I could pay it. I explained I was recently laid off and well, he gave me a job. Fourteen years later I'm sitting here with the boss's stepson."

Harry continued eating. "Sounds like he was just trying to save his skin from a lawsuit."

Happy sipped his beer. "Tony's not like that. He took in a down on his luck regular Joe and helped him more than anything. I know you're going to look for reasons to hate him, but Tony's a good guy."

Harry washed his plate. "Whoever cleans this place does a terrible job at it."

Happy laughed. "You ever let Jarvis hear that and you'll never be found."

Jarvis walked into the room. "Let Jarvis hear what?" He asked, grabbing the kettle.

Harry leaned against the counter. "Nothing sir."

Jarvis frowned at Happy. "No alcohol in the kitchen, you know the rules." He said disapprovingly.

Harry fixed the cutlery into the drawer. "Pretty strict rules there, Mr. Jarvis."

Jarvis made himself some tea, chuckling. "It's my job to ensure Happy here doesn't destroy the penthouse."

Happy smirked. "Jarvis here is the resident Nanny."

Harry got himself some water. "Does anyone here sleep normal hours?"

Jarvis sipped his tea. "We're on American time."

Harry nodded a little. "Is my mum awake?"

"Mrs. Stark has been sleeping a while. She tires easily with the pregnancy." Jarvis stared at Happy. "Speaking of, Mr. Stark needs you to go and collect the items that are needed." Happy nodded, walking out of the penthouse. "Happy's a nice enough guy, he's just not in the know about your lineage."

Harry's eyes widened. "You know about magic?"

"I have done since Lily moved to America." He explained, sipping his tea. "I know of the rules regarding muggles knowing about the Wizarding World. I also know how boring it can be when you are the only one up."

Harry shrugged. "I don't really care, sir. I may just go to the bedroom and relax."

Jarvis nodded. "I should also tell you that your mother and Mr. Stark are going to be at the Ministry most of the day, so you'll be coming with me for the day."

Harry frowned. "Um, I'm supposed to be going to a friend's house tonight..."

Jarvis hid the surprise. "I see. You've been waiting for this?"

Harry nodded. "My friend's mum let's me stay with them for a portion of the summer."

"I see. Sounds like a nice family." Jarvis finished his tea.

 **-HS-**

Harry felt like something was up. Jarvis took him out on a drive in Tony's Jag. He stopped by a large department store. "What are we doing here?"

Jarvis opened his door. "Your mother wears nothing but the latest fashions. You're going to be in the limelight a lot, Harry. I was instructed to help you buy an entire wardrobe."

Harry's face dropped. "I hate clothes shopping. And I've no muggle money."

Jarvis handed him a credit card. "You are instructed to buy whatever it is you want. There's no spending limit on it."

Harry sighed a little, holding onto the card. "I don't like spending money on frivolous things..."

Jarvis brought him to the store. "Just look around and see if there's anything that appeals to you."

Harry hated the looks people in the store were giving him. He brought Jarvis over. "You know about all these brands, what should I get?"

Jarvis thought for a moment, clicking his fingers for a person to come over. "Bring this young man three full teenage Armani suits with white shirts. One in black, one in grey and one in navy. He'll also need three pairs of dress shoes. Two in black and one in brown. The same for the belts. Also two pairs of casual trousers and two leather jackets, brown and black for the jackets, black and blue for the jeans."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "That's a lot of stuff."

Jarvis smirked. "He'll also need twenty polo t-shirts and five pairs of slacks and jeans. Five pairs of trainers and sneakers in mixed colours. All one size more than what this young man's size is currently."

The man nodded, running as fast as he could. "Why are you getting them one size bigger?" Harry asked curiously.

Jarvis turned to him. "You're mother's getting you placed on a regiment of nutrition potions to help you gain some much needed weight."

Harry frowned. "I'm not that skinny..."

Jarvis scoffed. "I was in the army during World War 2 boy, I know the signs of malnutrition."

"How old are you?" Harry asked curiously.

"I'm eighty-eight years old." He said simply.

"You don't look it." He pointed out. To him Jarvis seemed to be the same age as some of the Professors at Hogwarts.

"Yes, well. I helped Mr. Stark's father with an experiment in the early seventies. He had been convinced that he'd finally broke the formula for what was known as the Super Soldier Serum. It de-aged my body by three decades. Marvellous for helping do my job, but it hurt." Jarvis explained, seeing the man return. He tapped Harry's shoulder. "The card.

Harry handed the man the card. "Is that everything?"

Jarvis nodded, grabbing the bags. "You wouldn't mind grabbing a couple, would you?"

Harry took half the bags, walking to the car with him. "No offence, but shouldn't you retire at your age?"

Jarvis smiled. "I have been offered retirement over two hundred times in the last year alone. I don't have anything else to do." He said softly. "All I have is the Stark family. My wife was a holocaust survivor, she was sterilized in the camps. We adopted a daughter in the sixties, but she died in her toddler years." He said sadly, getting into the car. "Your mother and Tony are all I have left."

Harry sat in the back, frowning. "I'm sorry. That's so sad."

Jarvis began to drive. "Life can be cruel, I believe you understand that. But you've gotten an amazing gift now. I know it'll be hard to adjust to a new family, but they're here for you."

Harry listened to him, nodding. "Do you help Tony with his suits?" He asked curiously.

Jarvis shook his head. "My artificial counterpart is in charge of helping with suit production."

Harry chuckled. "He named the system after you?"

The dashboard beeped. _"Actually, J.A.R.V.I.S stands for: Just A Rather Versatile Intelligence System. I was designed to take pressure off of Mr. Jarvis in his advancing age."_

Jarvis frowned. "I thought I turned you off."

Harry smiled a little. "Tony must really care about you if he built a whole system to help you."

Jarvis nodded. "I've known Tony since he came into this world. Since day one I have watched over him."

Harry felt the car stop. "Are we at the penthouse already?"

Jarvis checked the time. "Yes. You should change into some new clothes. Go casual for today."

Harry changed into some of the new clothes, fixing his laces. "They fit way better than my old clothes."

Jarvis smiled. "Wait until you fit into them properly."

Harry got out of the car. "I can get the bags."

Jarvis shook his head. "Happy's inside, he can get them." He brought Harry up to the penthouse. He opened the door, allowing Harry to go in first.

"SURPRISE!" Everyone in the room shouted.

Harry stood there with a dumbstruck expression on his face. All his housemates were present from his year, as well as his teammates and the elder Weasleys. The biggest surprise for him was his mum standing there with a big smile. He walked over to Ron and Hermione, hugging them tightly.

"You've got some serious explaining to do." Hermione whispered, holding onto him. "Is it really her?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah." He whispered back.

Ron let go earlier than Hermione did. "Must've been a shock to you." He said blandly.

Harry shrugged. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all." He heard some rock blasting out of the stereos.

Hermione let go of him, going completely ridged. "It's Tony Stark!" She squealed.

Tony glanced at the girl's expression, grinning slightly. "Pleasure to meet you. What's your name?"

Hermione turned red. "H-Her...H-Her..."

Harry stared at her. "Hermione?"

She nodded. "What he said." She stood staring at him. Tony left the room to prepare a special treat for the people in the room. "Harry! What's Tony Stark doing at your birthday party?"

Harry smiled at her. "Well, he's technically my stepfather."

Hermione's jaw dropped. "Iron Man's your stepfather?!" She jumped around in a giddy fashion.

Harry shook his head. "Come on, you need some juice or something to calm down." He brought her to the drinks table.

Hermione got some juice, finally returning to her past calmness. "Sorry, it's just...Tony Stark's one of the greatest inventors in the world."

He grinned. "I wonder..." He moved to a control panel. "J.A.R.V.I.S, are any of the Iron Man suits in this place?"

The panel lit up. _"The Mark VI is in the main repair room. But Level 1 clearance is required."_

Harry frowned. "Do I have any level of clearance?"

 _"Mr. Stark gave you Level 2 clearance today."_

Harry sighed. "Could you please let me in? My friend really wants to see a suit."

 _"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."_

Harry clicked his tongue. "Please?" He tried one last time.

Tony watched him carefully. "J.A.R.V.I.S, upgrade the kid's status to Level 1." He crossed his arms. "You attempt to joyride it, your mum will kill me. So just stare at it."

Harry nodded. "Thank you Tony." He said happily. "Hermione's going to flip." He went over to Hermione. "What would you say if I showed you a suit?"

Hermione's eyes widened. "Really?!"

Harry took her hand, sneaking her towards the room. He noticed the hand scanner. "Ready?"

Hermione nodded quickly. "Hell yes!"

Harry placed his hand on the scanner, opening the door. The two of them walked into the room, seeing the red and gold suit. "Whoa."

Hermione ran her hand over the suit's faceplate. "It's really an Iron Man suit."

Harry smiled a little, looking at her. "It's been a weird couple of days."

Hermione turned to him. "Yeah..." She noticed his expression. "How do you feel?"

Harry sighed, sitting on the floor. "I don't know." He whispered softly. "I'm thrilled she's alive, but..."

"But why didn't she come back a long time ago?" Hermione sat beside him. "Have you talked to her about it?"

He nodded. "She said one of the old newspaper articles reported that I died in Godric's Hollow."

She placed her arm around him. "Harry, I'm sure she cares about you."

He sighed again. "I know. But...she's married...she's got a baby on the way. I just feel...like..."

"Like what?" She asked him.

"Like I've been replaced..." He said softly. "Like Dad and I were slowly forgotten about and she just replaced us."

Hermione kissed his cheek. "Don't think like that." She whispered.

Harry looked at her. "You just kissed my cheek. You've never done that before."

Hermione blushed a little. "I did...didn't I?" She chuckled weakly. She looked up at the suit. "Do you know it can lift fifteen times the weight of a normal human with ease?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. And thanks to the hydraulics and the reinforced titanium and platinum housing, it can withstand fifty atmospheres of pressure. Not to mention the repulsers can accurately fire from a distance of 900 feet."

Hermione grinned. "I don't think I've ever heard you speak about something non magical in a good way before."

Harry shrugged. "Easy enough to read about and I love anything fast." He said softly. "I don't know what to do, Mione."

Hermione hugged him tightly. "You'll get through this, don't worry. You have me here." She reached over, kissing him softly.

Tony opened the door. "Hey Harry, your mum wants to-" He walked back out. "They'll be out in a minute." He chuckled. Harry and Hermione walked out a few minutes later, both of them sporting a nice blush.

"You could've knocked." Harry frowned a little.

Tony grinned. "What's the fun in that?" He asked, noticing their blush. "Do I have to run a black light around the room?"

Hermione's blush intensified. "I'm going to get some punch." She walked to the table.

Harry frowned. "Hermione's not like that. Apologise for that."

Lily saw the two of them. "What's going on here?" She asked softly.

"Tony's after insinuating that Hermione's some sort of..." Harry frowned. "Forget it." He walked over to Hermione. "Sorry about him."

Lily frowned. "What did you say?"

Tony shrugged. "I saw them kissing in the maintenance room, so I made a little joke about needing a black light."

Lily sighed. "Tony, there's a good chance that she's his confidant when he's down." She noticed Harry hug a redheaded woman who seemed to be fussing over him.

Harry grinned at Mrs. Weasley. "I'm fine, Mrs. Weasley, I promise." He looked over at Ron. "Is he ok?"

"He's been in a bit of a huff alright, probably because of the early morning ahead of you all."

Harry nodded. "I should tell Mum about that. She'll want to know about it."

Molly smiled. "Let me do it deary. I'll explain how much you've been looking forward to it."

Lily watched as the woman approached her. "Hello, Molly right?" She remembered the woman a little from her days in the Order.

Molly nodded. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Potter."

"Actually it's Stark now." Lily said softly. "Thank you for coming, Albus told me your son and Harry are close friends."

Molly nodded with a large smile. "Yes. Harry and Ron have been friends since they met on the train. I was just coming to tell you that Harry's due to come with us to the finals of the Quidditch World Cup. He's been looking forward to it for a couple of weeks now."

Lily looked at her. "Oh..." She bit her lip. "I see..." She forced a smile. "That's super. Will he be back tomorrow night?"

"In three days. He also usually stays in my home for a week or so." Molly looked at her. "But if you have the room, I wouldn't mind Ron and Ginny staying here."

Lily smiled. "Thank you." She whispered. "But...I was planning on bringing Harry to a magical wildlife park in France..."

Molly nodded. "I see." She said softly.

Lily thought for a moment. "Your children are welcome to join us."

"Oh no. I'm afraid I couldn't find the money for that." Molly said sadly.

Lily looked at her. "I wouldn't ask you to pay. You've obviously been a big help to my son. I want to get to know his friends. Please it'd be no trouble."

"You've never met the twins." Molly commented with a chuckle. "If you're sure about it?"

Lily nodded. "I am." She whispered.

Molly nodded. "I should also tell you, Harry's not a fan of chocolate." She whispered. "Toffee and nuttier flavours are his thing."

Lily sighed. "Thank you...I'll remember that next time." She smiled sadly.

Molly looked at her. "Your late husband?"

Lily nodded. "James was a chocoholic." She sighed. "He looks so much like him...I just assumed."

Molly smiled at her. "My eldest, Bill. He's the image of his father at that age. Taste wise, they're ying and yang." She chuckled. "You'll get the hang of it." She moved closer, her face growing stoic. "But if I find out that you're like his aunt, then I'll ensure he moves in with us."

Lily paled. "He told you about Petunia?"

Molly frowned. "Yes. I assume the Headmaster told you?"

Lily nodded. "Are you going with them?"

Molly shook her head. "Quidditch isn't my cup of tea."

Lily bit her lip. "Could we speak tomorrow then? I want to know the extent of my son's abuse. I'm making sure that bitch is sitting in a cell for it."

Molly looked at her. "I could come by tomorrow. I'll bring some recipes that he likes too."

Lily grinned. "Thank you." She smiled over at Hermione and Harry, who were talking in hushed tones. "How long have they been a couple?"

Molly looked over at them. "I had suspicions, but I suppose they've finally realised it."

Harry smiled at Hermione, sipping his juice. "So...what I..." He gulped. "Sod it. Hermione Granger, would you do me the honour of being my girlfriend?" Hermione grinned, kissing him. "Was that a yes?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes!"


	4. Cracks

**A/N: Hey everyone. I haven't done a lot of Author's Notes for this story at the moment, but I wanted to talk about Harry. A few people have mentioned that they feel Harry is an ungrateful teenager. I wanted to portray what it would really be like for an abused teen to find out one of their parents is still alive. I know it must seem weird for Harry to act guarded around someone like Lily, but think about what Petunia's main lies to him when he was a child.** _ **"They died in a car crash. They didn't want you. You're a waste of space."**_ **Harry as a child heard he was unwanted by everyone. So I know it seems out of character for Harry, but I have my reasons for Harry's reluctance to open up to Lily. Now, on with the story.**

 **Chapter Three: Cracks**

Harry woke up the next morning, groaning as his alarm went off. "Bloody 3a.m. wake up call." He stretched, getting dressed. "What the fuck do I wear when I go camping?"

 _"The weather is set to be sunny, so I would recommend packing light clothing."_

Harry jumped. "What the hell?! Are you constantly on?"

 _"I'm an program, sir. I do not require sleep."_

He packed the rest of his clothes, fixing the bag. "Is there a fireplace in this place?"

 _"It is blocked, sir. It has been since 1989."_

Harry thought for a moment. "Are any of the cars self driving?"

 _"Unfortunately not, sir. I believe Mr. Hogan is awake."_

He sighed, grabbing his bag to walk to the kitchen. He noticed Tony sitting on the floor, panting a little. "You ok?"

Tony nodded. "One of the crystals must have failed." He clutched his chest. "There's seven orbs around the room made of steel. Open each of them and look at the crystal."

Harry nodded, checking each of the orbs. "Two are empty."

Tony grit his teeth. "Ok, in the second drawer of my bedroom is a box of crystals like those ones. Hurry! No pressure or anything but my heart's about to be shredded by shrapnel."

He ran to his mother's bedroom, getting the crystals into the orbs.

Tony panted for a moment. "Thanks. I should've added more of them. Usually one does me around Lily."

Harry held one of the orbs. "What are these things?"

Tony closed his eyes. "Magic can make electricity go haywire. I designed these to suck up the excess magic in the room. I thought seven would be enough for the party."

Harry looked at him. "Thank you for the party by the way. I know you and Mum organised it in a day."

Tony waved him off. "Kid, that wasn't a party. You want a party, well you'll have to wait until your mum's outta here."

Harry frowned. "You can't just accept a compliment, can you?"

Tony laughed. "Well I can once in a while. What are you doing up at three in the morning for anyway?"

Harry wiped the sleep from his eyes. "I'm heading to the Quidditch World Cup finals. I've got to get to the Burrow in less than two hours now."

Tony looked at his watch. "How far is it from here?"

"Devon." Harry explained.

Tony clicked his watch. "Let's get going then." He said simply. "I can fly you there in the suit."

Harry frowned. "The suit won't fit me."

Tony smirked. "Who said you'll be wearing it?"

Harry gulped. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Lily frowned. "Neither do I." She pointed her new wand at the fireplace. With two waves of her wand the fireplace was once again open and ready for use. "I had us added to the Floo Network. The address is The Penthouse."

Harry nodded. "Thanks." He played with his arm. "I um...I'll see you in three days..."

Lily nodded, hugging him gently. "Have fun." She slipped something into his pocket.

Harry walked through the Floo, arriving at the Burrow a moment later. "Hello?"

Hermione smiled, seeing her new boyfriend walk through the fireplace. "You're really early."

Harry shrugged. "I wanted to see you." He hugged her.

Hermione hugged him back, kissing his cheek. "Well I'm the only one who's awake right now." She said softly, sitting on the sofa. "How are you feeling today?"

Harry sat beside her, shrugging. "I'm dealing with it. It's just hard to wrap my head around to be honest."

Hermione rubbed his back. "I'm here to talk if you need someone to talk to."

He nodded, smiling. "Thank you. I'm glad I finally worked up the courage to ask out such a beautiful witch."

Hermione blushed brightly. "Harry, I already said yes." She whispered.

Harry grinned, giving her a small peck on the lips.

 **-HS-**

Lily sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "For the last time, I don't care how much they're offering. As I said before, Stark Industries is no longer a weapon contractors.

Molly came through the Floo, holding a plate of muffins. "Bad time?"

Lily shook her head. "Sit down, I'm just finishing up a quick meeting. Ok Michael, so tell them we are not going to supply them with anything." She deactivated the monitor. "J.A.R.V.I.S, I want inventory on all the stockpile. Shut down access to the armoury too while you're at it."

 _"Of course Mrs. Stark. You will receive the numbers within an hour."_

Molly looked at her. "You're a busy woman." She said softly.

Lily nodded, sitting across from her. "Ten months ago my husband went through a bit of a mid life crisis in his thirties. He made me the CEO of his company. During that period of time the company was trying to move from a weapon contractors to a sustainable energy company." She poured two cups of tea. "Thank you for coming, Molly. I...I just want to know what my son went through."

Molly sipped her tea. "I can't give you details, I promised Harry I'd never tell a soul about what he went through. I can give you some...well I can tell you that he has never been violated by the Dursleys."

Lily's eyes closed for a moment. "Thank fuck." She whispered. "Sorry about the language."

Molly nodded. "It's understandable under these circumstances." She handed Lily a muffin. "Made with fresh blueberries."

Lily smiled, picking at the muffin. "I'm preparing a case against the Dursleys. I don't want you to break your oath to Harry, but I would appreciate it if you could write a letter just confirming what the reports say."

Molly nodded. "Of course." She said softly. "I feel I should apologise for the way I spoke to you last night."

Lily sighed. "It's justifiable." She sipped her tea. "When I found out that my son was supposedly dead...I had a mental breakdown. I had recently been worried that James had been unfaithful in our marriage, so I went to visit a friend to clear my head. Harry had no passport that would have been needed for him to travel America with me. His father was against me going to America, so I left...I kissed Harry's forehead and told him I'd be back in a week." She found tears coming to her eyes. "My whole world crashed down in a minute. I didn't want to come back here...I hated England for taking away all I held close."

Molly watched her. "How far along are you?"

Lily froze. "How could you tell?"

"After seven children, you just learn to see the signs." Molly chuckled softly. "Does he know?"

Lily nodded. "I never wanted kids after I lost Harry. Tony was dying back then. You've seen the light on his chest, right?"

Molly nodded. "Yes. It's a strange thing."

Lily smirked. "It is. It also powers an electromagnet that keeps metal shrapnel out of Tony's heart. The light is also the power source for his specialised devices known as suits. All I had back then was Tony's friendship and his butler's friendship. The power source for the reactor was slowly poisoning him. After he was cured we..." She blushed.

Molly chuckled louder. "I understand dear."

Lily lost her smile. "I wasn't going to keep the baby at first. Too painful. Tony and I spent the entire night talking about it and once I realised I had to let go of the fear." She sighed. "I came back here to visit Harry's grave and apologise. Now he's alive...and...because I was too weak...he suffered." She said sadly. "How do I apologise for everything he's went through with those monsters?"

Molly finished her tea. "You have to let him trust you at his own pace. He'll let you in when he feels it's safe to do so."

Lily chuckled weakly. "I'm getting advice about my own son from a woman I barely know..." She wiped her eyes. "If I hadn't been so weak..."

Molly looked at her. "If you think like that you'll never make any progress. I'll be blunt, I cannot fathom a mother not coming back to at least bury her child. And a small part of me wants to blame you for all the pain he went through."

Lily sighed. "I blame myself already." She whispered. "I hate myself for everything I've done." She sniffled. "I wish I could turn back time and just fix all of this."

Molly watched her for a moment. "You're not to blame. Not fully." She whispered. "You were a grieving mother, your husband should've brought you here no matter what."

Lily finished her tea, sighing sadly. "Tony just tried his hardest to help me." She picked at more of the muffin. "I don't know what to do, Molly. In two days I go from having a dead son to a living one who acts extremely guarded around me."

Molly placed her hand over hers. "I don't know how to help you with all this, but my door will always be open to you when you need help."

Lily wiped her eyes. "Thank you." She whispered.

Molly looked at her. "I should thank you. Well the Potters more than anything."

Lily cocked her head to the side. "Why?"

Molly smiled sadly. "Seven children is a lot on Arthur's salary. The Potter Foundation pays for the children's tuition."

Lily frowned. "I thought all the foundations are locked down?"

Molly shook her head. "Not to my knowledge. I still receive a letter from them every time the Hogwarts letters come."

Lily sighed. "I suppose since I'm alive they must have be down as chairperson of the whole thing." She ran a hand through her hair. "Harry's nearly old enough to take his lordship title."

Molly nodded. "Next year I believe. He'll need proper training, Lily."

Lily nodded. "I'll have Sirius instruct him if I need to. I'm clueless when it comes to all this."

Molly checked the time. "Wow, time certainly flies." She winked at Lily. "I believe you are late to free said godfather."

Lily slapped her forehead. "Dammit."

Molly smiled. "I've to bring my son some lunch. I can escort you there if you'd like?"

Lily nodded. "I can't use a Floo though. I'm five months pregnant. "Have you ever been in a car?"

Molly nodded. "Arthur had one until Ron destroyed it last year."

"They drove at thirteen?!" Lily shouted.

Molly chuckled weakly. "Twelve." She said softly. "It's an interesting story. Just wait for Harry to tell it to you."

Lily nodded. "J.A.R.V.I.S, tell Happy to bring the car around. The location is saved in the GPS system."

 _"Of course, Mrs. Stark."_

Lily grabbed her handbag, walking out with Molly. "So, your son works at the Ministry?"

Molly nodded, getting into the car. "Percy works with Barty Crouch." She said softly. "You remember him, don't you?"

Lily nodded. "Yeah. He was the hard ass in charge of the Auror Department back then. Vicious against the Death Eaters. Thought he'd be Minister for Magic right now."

"Well he sentenced his own son to Azkaban after the war. The boy died in prison and his wife died of grief." Molly explained. "He's working on something important this year. They're bringing back the Tri-Wizard Tournament."

Lily frowned. "Didn't the last tournament end with five or so deaths?"

Molly nodded. "They've enacted a precaution this time. Only students who are of age may enter the Tournament. So my twins won't be attempting it."

"Nor can Harry." Lily sighed in relief.

 **-HS-**

Lily parted ways with Molly a few minutes after entering the Ministry. She made her way to the appointed room. "Dumbledore."

Albus turned around. "Lily! Are you ready?"

Lily nodded, quickly fixing her make up before walking into the room. She sat down beside Dumbledore, glancing at the tribunal.

"Welcome everyone." Cornelius Fudge sat at the head of the room. "We are today because this woman claims to be the late Lily Potter. Now, you claim that you're Lady Potter. What evidence have you got to corroborate that story."

Lily took out the Lady Signet Ring. "This." She placed it on the table in front of her. "As all of you know, my husband and I went into hiding because of threats from Voldemort." She said simply. "During our hiding an old friend of mine from the muggle world offered to allow us a visit. James decided not to go...and Harry was too young for magical travel. I visited him to catch up. The day after Halloween the paper came to me." She whispered.

Dumbledore sipped some water. "The ring alone proves that she's Lady Potter."

Cornelius rubbed his forehead. "The name you gave coming here was Lily Stark. Is this an alias?"

Lily shook her head. "I remarried a couple of months ago. I'm now Lily Stark."

Cornelius Fudge banged the gavel as soon as everyone started shouting. "You know that your marriage to this Stark person has ended your title of Lady Potter, don't you?"

Lily nodded. "I do. That's why I do not wear the ring. Harry is the owner of it as of today."

Fudge watched her. "Of course. It's obvious that she has to be Lily Potter. Sharptooth from Gringotts Bank and Dumbledore both corroborate what we have been told. I must say I am curious who was buried in your place."

"As am I." Lily agreed. "I'd like to thank you all for your time, but there is still a problem. It has come to my attention that Sirius Black was imprisoned for murder and selling James and I to Voldemort. Our Secret Keeper was Peter Pettigrew."

Fudge paled. "What?"

"Sirius was too obvious a choice, so he pretended to be the Secret Keeper so we could use Peter."

Fudge whispered to the person beside him. "You do know that Peter Pettigrew was killed by Sirius Black, along with twelve muggles, don't you?"

Lily crossed her arms. "Harry said Sirius didn't kill them. He told me that Sirius has proof."

Fudge sighed. "If Mr. Potter can contact him, we'll work on a trial."

"I'll contact you as soon as he contacts Harry." Lily nodded.

Once they left the court room, Fudge walked towards her. "Mrs. Stark, would you like to accompany me to the World Cup? Your son will be in the Minister's box with his friends."

Lily shook her head. "I'm five months pregnant, Minister. It'll be impossible for me to magically travel at the moment. Please, enjoy the match and hopefully it'll be a victory for...who's playing?"

Fudge chuckled. "Ireland v Bulgaria."

Lily smiled a little. "Go Ireland." She chuckled. "Any good odds on the match?"

Fudge nodded. "100/1 odds that Ireland will win but Bulgaria catches the snitch."

Lily grinned. "Put me down for sixty galleons." She said softly, placing a small bag in his hands.

Fudge nodded. "I'll send the winnings by owl if it happens."

Lily nodded, shaking his hand. "If you ever need some electrical engineering, contact me. My husband is one of the best inventors in the muggle world."

Fudge nodded. "If we ever see the need to enhance our lighting fixtures then we shall contact you immediately."

 **-HS-**

Harry sighed as he tried to sit alone for the fifth time in an hour. After his mother found out about the Death Eaters playing havoc at the World Cup she hadn't left his side unless he went to the bathroom, and if he said he needed to pee one more time than he saw sure she'd take him to hospital.

He walked over to Hermione, sitting beside her. "I am going to scream if she keeps following me like a lost puppy." He said softly.

Hermione placed her head on his shoulder. "She's just worried about your safety."

"I know. But I've fended for myself for years, Hermione. She can't expect me to adapt in a week." He relaxed against the wall. "Though this French vacation was a great idea."

"The location is fantastic." Hermione whispered, staring out at the golden sand of the nearby beach. "All you have to do is let her know what you need time to adjust to all this new stuff in your life."

Harry nodded, resting his head gently on hers. "Not even together a month and we're already vacationing in France. Who'd have thunk it?"

Hermione laughed a little, kissing his forehead. "You certainly move fast." She teased. She yawned slightly as they looked up at the multiple Hippogriffs as they soared through the air. "This place is magical."

Harry couldn't help but agree with her. The area his mother had chosen was pretty cool and the amount of magical creatures that he hadn't never seen before were just amazing. He sighed happily as the sun began to set. "We need to sit Ron down and talk to him about us."

Hermione laughed. "You sound like he's our kid and we've decided to give marriage another go." She poked his nose.

Harry couldn't help but laugh at the phrase. "I just mean, well he'll take it personally if we don't tell him about us. I don't want him mucking up our time together."

Hermione smiled softly as he spoke. She couldn't believe half of the things Harry had confessed to her when she was petrified. Though as far as Harry knew, she didn't remember any of it. It always amazed her that Harry could remain so loyal and caring when he had received no form of love in his childhood. "We can talk to him about it tomorrow. This is too perfect a moment to waste on something like Ron's reaction."

Harry nodded slightly, cuddling up to her. "You know, you're the best thing fate has given me in my entire life." He whispered under his breath.

Hermione wrapped her arms around him tighter. "And you're not going to face all of this alone." She promised.

Harry relaxed with her until Ron walked over to them. "Is there anything you two want to tell me?"

Harry sighed. "Ron, Hermione and I wanted to tell you tomorrow."

Hermione looked at their redhead friend. "Harry asked me out on his birthday and I said yes." She said softly. "We were going to tell you. It's not like we're hiding it from you."

Ron gripped his fists tightly. "You could have told me on your birthday!" He shouted.

Harry sighed again. "Ron, please don't make this into something major..."

"Oh no. I wouldn't dream of pissing off the great Harry Potter." Ron said coldly.

Harry closed his eyes. "Ron. I want you to think carefully about what you're doing..."

Ron frowned. "Or what? You'll get your stepdad to fly me around in one of his suit things?"

Harry stood up. "Don't bring tinman into this." He squared up against Ron. "Why don't you just say what's on your mind?"

Ron pushed him. "You and all this 'boohoo my mum is back and remarried' crap you're sprouting."

Harry grit his teeth. "Shut your mouth." He said coldly. "You know nothing about what I'm feeling."

Ron scoffed. "Oh look at me, I'm pouting because my mum married another rich man. She certainly has a type, I wonder how long after your dad died she waited before she spread her-" He was cut off by Harry pushing him away.

"Fuck you." Harry frowned. He walked away from them, sitting at a small lake. He felt someone behind him. "What..?"

Lily sat down beside him. "What happened?" She asked softly.

"Ron just...he..." He sighed. "Nothing..."

Lily placed her hand on his shoulder. "When they were your age, your dad and his mates had their problems. Sirius being disowned. Remus and his furry little problem. Peter's problems with...everything." She smiled to herself. "But they always got through it."

Harry sighed. "Ron's family doesn't have a lot of money...so he gets jealous when I spend mine. So I tend not to mention cash around him. But he must've heard about how rich Tony is and well, he said some stupid things."

Lily nodded. "You shouldn't have to watch yourself around him, Harry. Money isn't everything. Your nana and granddad Evans were broke."

Harry turned to her. "Really? How'd they have a bitch like Petunia?"

Lily frowned. "Language." She said sternly. "Petunia was always trying to be better than our family. I worked part time during the summers when I was fifteen to help make my tuition fees for my N.E. . Petunia met Vernon and he was everything she wanted. He was from a well to do family, had a decent job and loved to flaunt his wealth." She watched two Hippogriffs fly around the sky. "When I started to date James I felt so insecure about it. Don't get me wrong, we weren't in poverty, but private schools aren't cheap. Your grandfather worked all over the country. There would be weeks where he'd have to travel miles for work and leave his family. Your Nana made sweets in a factory and worked on a market stall at the weekend."

Harry looked out at the lake. "Wealth isn't everything. I would've traded all my money to have Ron's life."

Lily bit her lip. "Can I get a cheque or cash?" She tried to joke.

Harry rolled his eyes. "It's obvious who held the sense of humour in the relationship." He picked up a rock, skimming it across the lake.

Lily smiled. "That he did. Your dad could always make me laugh. I remember when he changed into his Animagus form just to make Christmas seem extra special." Her smile faded slightly. "They're going to...well they need to dig up the grave so we can find out who was buried with him."

Harry nodded slightly. "I'm curious about that too." He admitted. He sighed softly as he thought of the screaming voice. "Whoever she was, she sacrificed herself for me..." He whispered. "She didn't want me to die."

Lily sighed. "I just want to know who she is."

 **-HS-**

After a few days in France Harry learned that he'd be required to live with Lily and Tony in L.A. during a portion of the summer. He wasn't happy about it. Hermione's parents wouldn't let her stay with him and the Weasleys were busy with preparations for Hogwarts.

He sat in the kitchen, examining several tablets of information about the Iron Man suits and the overall design used to create them. "J.A.R.V.I.S, can you download a schematic for a hand glider?"

 _"Of course, sir. Is there anything else you require?"_

"Um, not really. Where's my mum?" He asked curiously.

"Mrs Stark's currently working on a new board of directors." Jarvis chuckled. "I wouldn't trust that ripoff butler with anything."

 _"I would hardly trust someone who predates civilisation itself."_

"Oh do shut up." Jarvis clicked a button. "May I ask what you're doing with the blueprints of the Mark III?"

Harry looked up at him. "I'm bored. And I've always wanted to know what's used in the suit properly. I know the same basic design everyone else knows, but I need to know how it works."

Jarvis chuckled. "Would you like a cup of tea while you read?"

Harry nodded. "Thank you." He said. "Two sugars and a splash of milk."

Jarvis nodded. Once he was in the kitchen he pressed the cutting board. "Mr Potter is reading through the designs sir."

"Ok. Just make sure he doesn't scribble on them." Tony said. "Also, I need some rosé wine and that cheese you served last September."

Jarvis rolled his eyes. "Of course sir. A nice wine and some strong blue cheese." He poured out some tea. "Lily called, she'll be late. She said that you and Harry should try and bond."

Tony groaned. "Can I not just bring him to a whorehouse like a normal stepfather?"

Jarvis rubbed his forehead. "No. I swear you're so much like your father it's annoying at times."

Tony laughed. "And that's why you love me. If he's still looking through the armour in an hour, send him down to me."

Jarvis brought Harry out his tea, watching him carefully. The boy was obviously interested in the suits. "Have you ever considered a career in robotics? With some of your mother's ward stones you'd be able to maintain an entire lab."

Harry chuckled weakly. "I haven't got the intelligence for something like that. Hermione on the other hand, she'd be amazing with things like this." He tapped the screen. "I like fast things. Cars, bikes, brooms and everything else that can achieve a great speed."

Jarvis couldn't help but chuckle. "Tony's the same. He built bike engines as a child and a car by your age."

Tony smirked. "I remember that." He laughed as Harry jumped. "It drove for ten seconds."

Jarvis chuckled heartily. "And then the axles buckled." He nodded his head slightly towards Harry.

Tony stared at Harry. "Come on. If you're going to be rifling through my suit designs then you're going to help me with repairs."

Harry frowned. "I know nothing about repairing suits."

Tony smirked. "Don't worry kid, I'll go easy on you today." He brought him down to the armoury. "Marks one through six are down here."

Harry examined them for a few minutes. "Mark VI has two small cracks to the faceplate and the Mark V has no fingers."

"Well that's the obvious." Tony grabbed some tools. "I'll have to make a new faceplate. I need you to unscrew the old one and melt it down."

Harry took the electric drill from him. "Won't I need to remove the circuitry?"

Tony shook his head. "The circuitry is just about fried anyway."

Harry walked over to the suit, removing the screws from the faceplate. "What happened?"

Tony laughed. "Well Rhodes and I were attacking these extremists in the Middle East and well...they had a tank." He grabbed two new gauntlets for the Mark V. "James couldn't believe it when I took the hit." He smirked. "He's had the War Machine armour for about a month at that point. I've been enjoying myself since. Your mum and I have been...well I was helping her to go back to England."

Harry closed his eyes. "Yeah..." He walked over to the smelting area. "Is it J run?"

"Yep. J.A.R.V.I.S, activate the smelting unit and send the molten metal to the press for a new faceplate."

 _"At once sir."_

Harry tossed the metal into the smelter. As it melted he removed the old gauntlets from the Mark V and placed the new ones on. "Anything else you need?"

Tony looked up from the tablet. "Hmm? No. Why did you add a gliding system? The suit's too heavy to take advantage of the glider."

Harry frowned. "Hey! I was just playing around." He blushed in embarrassment. "And a carbon fibre mesh suit could easily take a fifth of the weight off the suit without losing any defensive capabilities."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "J, while you're at it I want you to create a carbon fibre mesh so we can test Harry's theory."

"It won't work." Harry sighed. "Why are you trying to embarrass me?"

"I'm just testing your idea." Tony smirked slightly. "You should look through all this." He handed him a couple of tablets. "Ideas I've had for suits. You seem like you enjoy playing around, so it'll keep you busy."

Harry frowned. "Are you trying to bribe me into liking you?"

Tony laughed. "No. But I can get you a Porsche if it helps."

Harry took the tablets, walking towards his room. It'd been an odd day that's for sure. He turned the tablets on and examined the base designs.


	5. Demons

**Chapter Four: Demons**

"This isn't going to work, Tony." Harry shouted for the fifth time in a row. "You're going to get yourself killed!"

Tony rolled his eyes. "I know what I'm doing." He tapped the control panel of the Mark VII before suiting up. "Now, if anything does go wrong the Mark VI has been programmed to catch me in mid flight, so nothing bad can happen to me." He blasted into the sky, reaching a height of 4,000 feet.

"I'm in position at mission control, sir." Jarvis said simply. "Though I cannot agree with your plan."

Tony grinned. "Noted. Now let's get this show on the road." He propelled himself down. "J.A.R.V.I.S, activate Glide Mode."

 _"Sir the odds of the suit gliding are 2,500 to 1."_

"I like those odds." Tony grinned, turning off the propulsion system. "Here goes nothing." He felt the gliders go into position. "How am I doing boys?"

"You're steadily falling at a rate of two feet a second." Harry checked the readings. "There's an air current near you, try and fly through it."

"Roger that." Tony guided himself into position. "Uh oh." He gulped.

"Uh oh what?" Jarvis asked.

"The left glider just tore open." Tony reactivated the propulsion system. "We got problems...the suit's locking up on me."

"Sending the Mark VI to your position, sir." Jarvis flipped three switches. "I really do wish he'd stop taking so many unnecessary risks."

"I heard that." Tony laughed. "Manual ejection in three...two...one..." He closed his eyes as the suit opened up. He held his arms up as the Mark VI flew past. "I'm good."

Harry frowned as he touched back down. "I told you it wouldn't work."

Tony smirked. "But it did work." He pointed out. "It needs a few adjustments, but if you keep working on the designs I may just name it after you."

Harry sighed. "I go back to school in a week, I won't have the time to work on anything. Not to mention there's the small fact that technology won't work around that much magic."

Tony just looked at him. "You've seen your mum use these, haven't you? You've used them."

Harry frowned. "Yeah...how can they work for magicals?"

Tony opened one up with a screwdriver. "Ward crystals seem to have an electrical charge to them. By tweaking the power source from the lithium batteries to the crystals, I can actually power the entire system with the ambient magic that lingers around any magical being."

Harry couldn't help but feel impressed by the way Tony had added small differences. "Won't it overload with the magic in Hogwarts? There's a lot of magicals there, not to mention the surrounding area is a magical village."

Tony clicked his tongue. "Well then, I'll just have to alter it." He wiped his hands. "Lily said the two of you are heading for magic supplies. She said be ready at 6pm, you'll be in England for the afternoon."

Harry nodded. "But mum can't use magical transportation."

"I've a jet outfitted with repulsers, you'll be in England within a couple of hours." Tony checked the rips in the glider. "Shame, it would've helped in stealthy situations."

Harry shrugged. "Things happen." He walked out of the control booth, heading towards the cliff of the house. He sat down and looked out at the sea. Tony's house was nice, but he couldn't help but miss England. Hermione was there. Ron and the Weasleys were there. He sighed a little as he spotted Hedwig returning with a letter on her leg. "Hey girl, you're back early." He took the letter from her leg, playing with her feathers as he read it.

 _Dear Mr Potter,_

 _Through evidence provided by you, Mrs Stark, Ms Granger and Mr Weasley the Wizengamot has found Sirius Orion Black innocent of the crimes he had been accused of and compensated him for the twelve years he spent in Azkaban._

 _Mr Black has named you as heir to the Black Family and has asked us to open a channel of communication between House Potter and House Black._

 _As per your mother's instructions, your godfather will be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry every Sunday evening to instruct you in etiquette and the affairs of an Ancient and Nobel House._

 _No reply is needed for this letter._

 _Respectfully yours,_

 _Bloodfang_

Harry grinned as he re-read the letter for the third time. "Yes!" He jumped up, cheering loudly. He thought about the etiquette and the affairs of an Ancient and Noble House part, but he could just ask his mother about it.

 **-HS-**

Lily poured two glasses of coke as she and Harry flew in the sky. Harry had asked why Sirius needed to instruct him once a week and she was trying to explain it to the best of her ability. "Well, your father explained it to me when we got married." She sipped her coke.

Harry frowned. "We have time to talk."

Lily sighed. "Ok. When the Wizengamot formed centuries ago, ten families paid for the economy of the new government. Houses Peverell, Longbottom, Potter, Black, Bones, Nott, Moon, Lestrange, Turpin and Greengrass all gave half their fortunes to begin the new government's economic growth and development. As a reward they were christened the first Lords. There's forty-eight Lords now since the Peverell family has been extinct for years. Are you with me so far?"

Harry nodded, leaning forward to listen more.

Lily stretched before continuing. "The Ancient and Noble Houses are regarded as some of the most influential. Families like the Malfoys who marry into Ancient and Noble Houses tend to think they have more power than they actually do. Since your father's death the Potter seat has been frozen until you become fifteen years old. When you turn fifteen they'll test out if you have the ability to lead your family." She paused for another sup of her drink. "If you show maturity and the ability to handle your finances, you'll be emancipated and made Lord Potter. Sirius has named you his heir too so if you ever take that lordship then your legal title would be Lord Potter-Black. Sirius will try and fit a lifetime of etiquette training into a year." She whispered. "The reason for this is now that it's come to light that I've remarried, the vaults are frozen."

Harry frowned. "But I accessed mine last week."

Lily nodded. "That's your _ **personal**_ vault, Harry. The Potter Family runs a trust of charitable organisations which are funded through the vaults exclusively." She smiled at him. "It's up to you Harry. The vaults can give the usual amount of money, but you won't be able to set up any new foundations or trusts to help people."

Harry finished his coke. He played with the glass for a moment. "I...it helps a lot of people?"

She nodded. "Your father and I set up a couple of trusts aimed at creating orphanages for magical children, but it was shut down during the war."

Harry ran his hands through his hair. "I understand." He looked out the window. "I'll do it, Mum. I just hope I don't mess it all up."

Lily held his hand. "Harry, you've got me, Sirius and Tony to help guide you and ensure that you'll be the great man your father knew you would be."

Harry nodded slightly. "Ok." He smiled weakly, noticing the first signs of land. "Are we in England?"

Lily nodded. "Yeah. Sirius will be there to greet us and then we'll all go to Diagon Alley and get your supplies."

Harry grinned at the thought of seeing Sirius. "Ok." He agreed with her plan quickly.

The two of them reached the private air hanger after a few minutes and left the jet, seeing Sirius leaning against one of Tony's cars. "There you are, Prongslet." He ran over and picked Harry off the ground with a hug.

Harry laughed as his feet left the ground and wrapped his arms around Sirius. "It's good to see you, Padfoot."

Lily walked over to him. "Sirius Orion Black, I don't know whether to hug you or beat you over the nose with a rolled up newspaper." She smiled at him.

Sirius let Harry go and instantly moved his arms around Lily. "Lily Evans." He kissed her cheek. "You've a lot of explaining to do."

Lily frowned. "So do you. Why would you go after Peter when Harry needed you more?"

Sirius sighed. "I didn't think. All I wanted to do was kill the motherfucker who betrayed us." He placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry." He whispered.

Lily kissed his cheek. "Don't worry about it, Siri." She whispered back to him. "And it's Lily Stark now."

Sirius lost his happy expression. "You remarried?"

Lily nodded. "A few months ago." She explained. "I'll explain in the car. And I'm driving."

Sirius got into the car and fixed his belt on. "I can't believe you remarried. I thought you loved James?"

Lily sighed. "I did. Until he cheated on me."

Sirius couldn't believe what he had heard. "There's no way James would cheat on you, Lils. He loved you more than anyone else."

Lily gripped the steering wheel tightly as she drove. "I called and a woman picked up the fucking phone." She said angrily, forgetting Harry was in the backseat.

Sirius thought for a moment. "Hang on. A woman answered? It could've been anyone, Lily. Hell it could've been Alice Longbottom. There is no way on earth he was cheating on you!" Sirius said coldly.

Lily nodded, keeping back tears as she focused on driving. She stopped outside the Leaky Cauldron, closing her eyes again. "I thought he was cheating on me, Sirius. When I heard my son was dead...I lost my will to live. If it hadn't been for Tony, I'd be dead." She whispered sadly.

Sirius remained silent. He glanced at Harry in the mirror and smiled at him. Once they got into Diagon Alley Sirius made his way to Gringotts, leaving Harry and Lily behind.

Lily walked around the shops with Harry, keeping a distance. She remembered his friends had gotten their supplies from the Alley a few days previously and she couldn't help but think she should've allowed him to stay for that. She picked up a couple of books on old laws and etiquette to help him while he was at Hogwarts.

Diagon Alley really hadn't changed much since the old days. Most of the shops she had once shopped in were still owned by the same dilapidated looking wizards and witches. She glanced at some of the old gas lamps that were still in use to light the Alley at night.

Harry was studying some of the new model brooms that were on sale. According to Molly Harry used a Firebolt, which was a gift from Sirius. She had half a mind to punch the man for getting her son such a dangerous thing for his birthday.

She followed him in as he scanned the newest items in the official English Quidditch Team selection. "Do you have any Seeker gloves?"

Harry frowned. "What are Seeker gloves?" He asked curiously.

She grabbed a pair from the closest shelf. "Your dad's friend used to use them. They come with a specialised compartment for the Snitch to rest in."

He observed them for a moment before placing them on. "Are they sanctioned in Hogwarts games?"

The man at the counter couldn't help but hear them. "Those model gloves are only for show, lad. You need a pair for school I'd go for the Darknight range."

Harry took the gloves off and walked to the counter. "I see. Do Darknight carry a range of Seeker gear?" He asked.

The man nodded, bringing out a catalogue. "If you want, we can take your measurements and send off for some custom items. Any Seeker worth his skill would keep all the important bells and whistles. What kind of broom do you fly, son?"

Harry checked out the items in the catalogue. "I use a Firebolt. Before that I was using a Nimbus 2000 model."

The man stared at him. "You've some serious speed with a broom like that, Mr Potter." He took out a slip. "The custom items are a little more expensive, but they'll last better than anything."

Harry frowned. He'd already put a couple of pounds on thanks to the malnutrition potions. "What if I was to gain a few more pounds though?"

The man chuckled. "Well the whole system is adjustable. It'll still fit you, even if you gained three stone."

Harry took the slip, adding the numbers of several different items. "Thank you sir."

The man took his measurements and stamped the slip. "Not a problem, Mr Potter. Now, this is your receipt. The items you chose were magically written down in my order form. Expect them around mid September."

Harry nodded. "Just have them sent to Hogwarts please." He paid for the stuff and left with his mother. "I never knew there were so many things Seekers could use."

"All positions have an equal amount of equipment to use. Beaters can even buy specialised bats." Lily said softly. "Your dad was a Quidditch nut. He got me into the sport when we married."

Harry smiled a little. "What team did he support?"

"Appleby Arrows." Lily chuckled. "He was obsessed with that bloody team. Even convinced me to get matching tattoos with him with the team's crest."

Harry stared at her. "Really?"

Lily smirked. "He got his on his bum cheek."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "And yours?"

Lily chuckled a little. "Well, lets just say you will never want to see it."

Harry turned slightly green after hearing that. "Where to next?" He asked, quick to change the subject.

Lily walked to Madam Malkin's shop. "Your school robes and dress robes."

"I hate this place." He grumbled. After forty minutes of torture and a new set of robes, Harry walked outside to see Sirius grinning. "Guess who just abandoned the shithouse he grew up in and bought themselves a nice new airy house?" Sirius looked at Lily. "With a room for Harry to stay in whenever he wants."

Harry perked up at that. "Really?" He grinned back. "Where's the house?"

Sirius smirked. "Privet Drive. We're going to give Petunia the middle finger."

Harry's happiness faded quickly. "I'm never going near Surrey again." He said, his voice soft and hollow.

Sirius looked at him. "You ok, pup?" He knelt down to him and hugged him tightly. "Nothing will happen to you. I promise."

Lily watched the two of them with a sad smile on her face. Harry held onto Sirius just as tight as Sirius held him. She couldn't help but feel jealous of that; after all, Harry wouldn't really hug her.

Harry wiped his eyes after the hug and walked ahead to the car. Sirius stared at Lily. "I'll do the classes for him, but if I do this then it's done the proper way. You cannot stop."

Lily nodded. "I'm sorry, Siri." She didn't look in his direction. "It's my fault you spent so long in that hellhole."

Sirius closed his eyes. "Just don't mention it again and we'll call it even." He placed his bags in the boot of the car. "Before someone else tells you, you should know that Alice is alive...in St Mungos."

Lily frowned. "Is she ok? What about Neville? And Frank?"

Sirius closed his eyes. "You might've spotted Neville already. He lives with Augusta. Frank and Alice were tortured to insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange, Rodolphus, Rabastan and Barty Crouch jnr." He gripped the boot tightly. "From what I've been told they don't recognise anyone."

Lily felt tears well up in her eyes. "Fuck this country...it just takes from people..."

Sirius couldn't help but agree with that, his own time in Azkaban clear in his mind. "I'll drive." He took the keys. "Where to?"

Lily sat in the passenger seat. "Heathrow." She said softly. She glanced out the window at one of the places that once imbued her with a sense of awe and wonder. Alice, Marlene, James, Frank, and countless others, all gone before their time. She let her silent tears fall, remembering the good times she had as a teenager.

 **-o0o-**

The flight home had been exhausting and Lily was glad to just lay in bed and do nothing. Harry had walked to his room the second they walked through the door, probably to send a letter to Hermione. She smiled at the thought of the two teens sending innocent little letters to one another.

She would've stayed like this as long as she could, but the need to pee was too overwhelming and she made her way to the loo. Once her bladder was nice and empty she made her way back to bed, only to freeze when she heard a glass smash. She grabbed a baseball bat from the umbrella stand and swung into the kitchen.

She looked in, seeing Harry sitting on the ground, a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a broken glass beside him. He took a large swig of the bottle, humming a soft melody.

Lily frowned for a moment, listening to the melody. Her heart broke when she remembered it. She would often sing it to him when he was a baby. She walked closer to him. "Harry?"

Harry groaned, opening his eyes. "I'm ok..." He stumbled onto a chair. "Go back to your husband and little baby." He said bitterly. "It's obvious they're the ones you want."

Lily frowned. "You know that's not true, Harry." She whispered, holding his hand.

He broke out of her hold. "Sure. The only reason you even went back to England was to give yourself closure for replacing me and dad."

Lily's eyes welled up with tears for the third time within the day, her heart breaking with his words. "I love you. I loved your father."

Harry laughed bitterly. "Sure you did." Harry frowned at her. "Face it, you dropped England as fast as you could. All you care about is your baby and HIM!"

She had tears in her eyes. "H-Harry...I love you. Tony's done nothing but try to help you."

"He's just like the rest of them." He said coldly.

"Like who, Harry?" She asked.

"Muggles. Fucking muggles. I fucking hate them. Every muggle in my life has screwed me over or tried to hurt me. At times I wish Voldemort would've just eliminated the lot of them!" He snapped out. "The only good thing the muggle world gave me was Hermione!"

Lily stood up, holding her hand over her mouth. She couldn't believe what she had heard. "Harry, the muggle world is filled with people who..." She thought about all the things she knew he went through. She couldn't blame him for hating the muggle world. She went to her room and collapsed onto the bed, trying not to cry. Her son didn't think she loved him. She sniffled again as thoughts of James ran through her head. Her soul ached to hate him. To remind her that a woman answered the phone. But all she could think of was all the good times they had when they were young. She screamed into her pillow, sitting up on the bed.

After a few minutes she heard another smashing sound coming from the kitchen. She made her way back into the kitchen, sighing. "Harry, you need to sleep. I can shout at you tomorrow..." She stopped as she saw her son and husband engaged in a fist fight. Well at least Harry was throwing a punch towards Tony, though the older man just moved to the side.

"Come on kid, I'm in a different weight class to you. I don't want to hurt you, kid." Tony sidestepped another punch and moved Harry away. "I'll have Jarvis lock up the booze." He said to Lily, smiling at her. It amazed her how calm he remained about it. Then again she and Jarvis spent many years helping Tony with his own alcoholism. He grabbed Harry by the arms and forced him down on a chair. He held the struggling boy for a couple of minutes until he finally settled down. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, placing it in his hands. "Sip it slowly."

Harry frowned. "I'm sorry..." He closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, mum. But I don't think we'll ever have what you want us to." He sniffled. "Fate's a bitch. For years all I wanted was my parents back. Now I have you back and I can't even trust you. Don't get me wrong...I know you're not Petunia...but, she shares your blood. They were animals, mum. The things I've seen...that I've done..." He chuckled bitterly. "I'll never...be what you want me to be. I'm damaged. I'm never going to be a normal person. I know you regret leaving, but if you hadn't, then you'd be dead too. I'm glad you're back...but I'll never require mothering. Petunia ensured I never felt a mother's love, so I can't miss something I've no memory of. And if I'm honest...my mum died a long time ago. Lily Potter died when you read that newspaper article. You're Pepper Potts now...or Pepper Stark...you're that baby's mum." He stood up, stumbling towards his room.

Lily felt Tony's arms surround her. "I want that bitch in prison as soon as possible." She said coldly, her cheeks stained with tears.

 **-HS-**

Lily walked into Harry's room, seeing her son just sitting at his window. His face was stoic and unreadable while his food remained untouched. He stroked Hedwig's feathers gently, turning to her. "I'm sorry about last night."

She sat on his bed, holding her hands. "How long have you been drinking?"

Harry shrugged. "Two years now. Helps to numb the pain." He said simply. "I shouldn't have said what I said."

Lily smiled weakly. "I can't blame you. I'm going to ask just once...will you please tell me about your life with them?"

Harry closed his eyes. "There's no point in bringing up the past. Was my life a happy one with them? No. Is there anything I can do about it? No." He opened the window, letting Hedwig go to hunt. "I said some awful things last night..."

Lily moved closer to him. "You were angry. I'd be angry too if I had been through what you've been through. We'll put it down to all the new changes this time. But if it happens again, you will be grounded."

Harry nodded, smiling sadly. "I'm sorry mum. I know you were hoping for more..."

Lily kissed his forehead. "You're alive, that alone is more than I could ever ask for."


	6. Chipping the Wall

**Chapter Five: Chipping the Wall**

The remaining days before school had passed slowly for Harry. Since his drunken stupor Lily had been trying to give him his space. While he was thankful for the space, without Ron and Hermione he just felt isolated. He closed his eyes as Sirius droned on about Pureblood etiquette.

"Harry, will you please pay attention?!" Sirius sighed. "Who was the last Potter to serve as Minister of Magic?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "A member of the Potter Family was Minister for Magic?"

Sirius pinched the bridge of his nose. "No. But it proves that you were not paying attention. This is important to your education."

Harry nodded. "Sorry. You were saying?"

Sirius smirked slightly. "Ok. As Scion of the Ancient and Noble Houses of both Potter and Black, you can wear both families' Scion Ring. The rings would offer you some protection from stunners and weak curses." He explained, placing both rings in front of him. "Wear the Potter Ring on your dominant hand. It's your primary line after all."

Harry placed the first ring on his right hand, watching as it resized onto his finger. "What about the Black Family ring?"

"That goes on your left hand." Sirius smiled. "You're going to notice a lot of people approaching you to offer friendship this year. Do not offend them." He warned.

Harry frowned, placing the ring on. "That sounds like they only want the political clout that my titles hold."

Sirius groaned. "Listen. Your titles will mean a lot for a lot of people. But the reason is simple...political connections. You'll have to ensure that you make the _**right**_ connections."

Harry sighed. "Fine. Who should I watch out for?"

Sirius poured himself a glass of scotch. "Greengrass. That name mean anything to you?"

Harry nodded. "Daphne and...Astoria. They're students in Hogwarts. Daphne's in my year and Astoria's in her second year this year."

Sirius sipped his drink. "I see. Cyrus Greengrass was a student when I was in school. His family are political animals and have been allies of the Black Family for centuries." He paced around the room. "The elder sister will probably approach you. She'd be the Heiress of the House."

Harry ran his hand through his hair. "This shit is too complicated." He sighed.

Sirius smirked. "That it is." He sipped his scotch, turning to Harry. "From now on, no more drinking." He said sternly. "Drunken stupors are not acceptable for either family."

Harry frowned. "She told you?"

Sirius nodded, chuckling slightly. "While I'm unable to really scold you for such antics, I will ask that you take these lessons to heart."

Harry nodded. "Of course, Padfoot. Thanks for helping me with all this."

"It's my pleasure and my duty, Harry." Sirius finished his drink. "If things had worked out the way it should've, your lessons would have ended long ago."

Harry smiled sadly. "Yeah..." He whispered. "How will this work when I'm Hogwarts?"

"I'll be coming every Sunday and we'll use one of the empty classrooms that are set aside for such things." He placed the decanter back on the shelf, locking it in the case. "This won't be easy, Harry. I've got to cram years of tradition into a few months."

Harry smirked. "Marauders were supposed to be good at things like that though." He pointed out. "And I've got to prove myself as a Marauder."

Sirius chuckled. "That's the spirit. You should get some sleep. Hogwarts awaits tomorrow."

Harry grinned. "Yeah. Mum said she'll be here in the morning." He opened the door. "Thanks Padfoot...I have to admit...I never thought I'd enjoy living in Privet Drive."

Sirius smirked. "Just wait. Your mum and I have been working on the case. They won't be around here much longer."

Harry nodded. "But then I'll have to face them in court..."

Sirius lost his smile. "True, but then everyone around here will find out that Harry Potter is not someone to mess with."

Harry smiled a little. "Don't count your chickens before they hatch."

 **-HS-**

Hermione ran over to Harry and gave him her best 'Hermione' hug. She held onto him for a couple of minutes, letting go to give him a kiss.

"Someone missed her boytoy." Tony laughed softly. "Miss Granger, a pleasure to see you again."

Hermione froze slightly. "M-Mr Stark." She stammered out.

Harry rolled his eyes, kissing her cheek. "His head's big enough." He chuckled, walking hand in hand with her.

Hermione frowned a little when she spotted her parents. "Mum and dad want to meet you properly." She said softly.

Harry walked over to them with her, trying to keep his calm. "Dr Granger...Dr Granger." He held his hand out.

Samuel Granger raised an eyebrow at the young man in front of him. "Harry." He shook his hand. "No time for a hairbrush today?"

Harry chuckled. "Waste of time trying. My father's genes have the worse hair possible." He kissed Mrs Granger's hand. "It's good to see you both again. It's been two years I believe."

Portia Granger smirked. "Someone's got their manners." She glanced at Tony. "What's Tony Stark doing here?"

Tony walked over to the two teens. "We thought you two had gone to elope." He laughed. "Sorry, I'm Anthony Stark, Harry's stepfather."

Portia frowned. "I was under the impression that Harry was an orphan." She said politely.

Lily panted as she finally caught up with them. "I'm pregnant you assholes. You couldn't have waited?"

Tony laughed. "Well, we were waiting...but that's the fifth time in fifty minutes."

Lily frowned. "I'm Lily Stark." She introduced herself to the Grangers. "Harry's mother."

Portia held her hand out. "Portia Gwendolyn Granger, and my husband Samuel."

Lily walked through the barrier with the Grangers and her family, smiling at the scarlet engine. "I haven't seen this train in a long time." She whispered.

Harry watched as the Grangers hugged Hermione goodbye and left through the barrier again. He played with his hands, looking at Lily. "I'll um...I..."

Lily wrapped her arms around him. "Don't feel bad." She sniffled. "I know it'll take time for you and I to know each other properly. I'll wait a couple of days and then I'll write to see how you are."

Harry held onto her. "Yeah. It'll be nice to have people writing to me." He smiled slightly. "Take care of yourself and the baby." He said softly.

Lily kissed his cheek. "We'll both be fine. Tony and Jarvis will be looking out for me. Plus J.A.R.V.I.S will monitor my stress levels."

He nodded, letting go after a moment. He turned to Tony. "You take care of my mother." He said sternly.

Tony smirked. "That's what I've been doing for years, kid." He tossed Hermione and Harry a bag each. "The very talkative Miss Granger asked me to mod out some stuff for her. I decided you could both use one."

Hermione grinned. "Thank you, Mr Stark." She held the bag close to her.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Thanks." He entered the train with Hermione. They arrived at an empty compartment, sitting across from each other. "What's in the bag?"

Hermione opened her bag. "Mr Stark was able to rework my Nintendo DS to work around magic." She picked up a box. "My ambient magic isn't too bad, so I can usually use it at home. But I can never play Pokemon at school."

Harry groaned. "My girlfriend is an anime nerd." He sighed, opening the bag. "And my stepfather decides to torture me by getting me a copy of Pokemon Soul Silver."

Hermione's eyes lit up. "Please play it. I need a Vulpix so bad." She gave him her best puppy dog eyes.

Harry sighed again. "Ok." He placed the cartridge into the console, sitting beside her. "The things a man does for love."

Hermione cuddled into his side. She rested her head on his shoulder, grinning. Harry had just entered a world he'd never be free of.

 **-HS-**

Ron entered their compartment just before the train departed, holding his trunk in his hands. "Hey...can I talk to you..?" He asked, sitting on his trunk.

Harry nodded, closing the DS over. "Sure. Look, about France..."

Ron sighed. "I shouldn't have said what I said. I can't comprehend how fucked this situation is for you." He ran a hand through his hair. "You're my closest friends and I don't want to lose our friendship over something so stupid."

Harry smirked. "Apology accepted." He motioned to the empty bench across from him. "How was the rest of your summer?"

Ron shrugged. "Fine I suppose."

Hermione continued playing her game, grunting in frustration. "Fuck you Red. You Pikachu using bitch."

Ron and Harry stared at her with shocked expressions. Neither had ever heard Hermione use language like that before. "And she gives me grief about saying bloody hell." He laughed.

Hermione turned a bright red. "Pokemon turns me a little demonish."

Harry kept his DS closed, moving it away from him. "I'm never playing that again." He gulped. "And please never play it at night."

Ron stared at the devices in their hands. "How the hell is muggle stuff working around magic?" He asked curiously.

Hermione stared at him. "Harry's stepfather is a muggle inventor who spends all his time around a magical woman. He specialises in energy nowadays and I'm extremely excited that he got my DS working. He modified the battery and replaced it with a warding crystal. It's absorbing the excess magic around the room."

Ron raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that illegal?" He pointed out. "Dad got fined when the Ministry found out about the bloody car!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Ron, Tony's muggle. My mother is allowed to use warding crystals around him so he can function." He explained. "It's actually kinda cool."

Hermione lifted his bag. "There's more stuff in this."

Harry frowned, emptying the bag. He sighed when he saw several different tablets.

 _Nice try kid, but you're still working on the glider suit._

 _T._

Hermione smirked. "He has you working on one of his suits?"

Harry sighed again. "He thought it'd help us bond." He said simply. "I've been playing around with the idea of a carbon mesh glider suit to work in stealthy situations."

Hermione turned one of the tablets on. "Have you thought about using a lighter metal for the suit?"

Harry nodded. "The only problem with light metals is they're usually weaker than the stronger ones Tony uses."

Hermione played with the design for a few minutes, tapping different metals. "You're right. Carbon fibre mesh might be the best choice for this idea."

Ron just stared at the two of them with a lost expression. "Um...c-could you guys...I want to know about the muggle world." He whispered. "You two have embraced our world, but I never really thought about your world."

Harry smiled. "I'd be honoured to show you how to fit in with the muggles." He felt Hermione cuddle into his side. "DS?"

Hermione nodded, cracking her neck. "Red's going down." She said coldly. "Him and his electric rat."

Harry and Ron rolled their eyes at her. "Lesson one, never play Pokemon." Harry smirked.

Hermione continued playing her game, ignoring her boyfriend's stupidity, this time.

 **-HS-**

Lily opened the door of the penthouse, immediately heading to the kitchen. She grabbed two pickles and some peanut butter, sitting at the table. She took a bite of the nutty pickle, trying not to cry. It seemed like the summer with Harry had passed by in a day and she found herself in a funk already.

Jarvis poured two cups of tea and placed one in front of her. "I must say, I haven't had a teenager to look after in a long time." He chuckled, sitting across from her. "He'll be home for Christmas."

Lily played with her cup. "I know, but I was just getting to know him. I should've spent more time with him..."

Jarvis sipped his tea. "Poppycock. You spent every second you could with him. I think you're being too hard on yourself."

Lily shrugged. "Sorry, just got the back to school blues." She whispered.

Jarvis nodded. "You need to relax. I'll draw you a nice bath and prepare some chicken teriyaki for dinner."

Lily smiled. "You're the best." She patted his hand. "What would I do without you?"

Jarvis smiled. "You and Mr Stark would be unable to live in peace." He finished his tea, returning to his duties.

Lily finished her tea before heading for a bath. She rested her hands on her growing belly, smiling to herself. Her mind wandered as the warm water relaxed her body. Would Harry and the baby get along? Would a new baby cause a bigger rift between her and Harry? Could Tony and Harry ever become close? She sighed to herself. Her eyes remained closed until a splashing sound. "I was enjoying my bath."

Tony laughed softly, kissing her. "You looked like you were trying to use your stomach as a crystal ball." He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her cheek. "J said you're missing Harry, so I thought you could use a cuddle."

Lily couldn't stop the smile from coming to her face. "Thank you, Mr Stark." She whispered.

Tony chuckled. "Not a problem, Mrs Stark." He massaged her stomach gently, placing kisses on her neck. "What's on that beautiful mind of yours?"

Lily closed her eyes again, letting a soft moan escape her lips. "Just thinking about our little family." She whispered, relaxing against him.

Tony smirked a little. "Well, let Tony relax you until the family is back together in the same room.

Lily rolled her eyes, kissing his jaw. "You're really lucky I love you."

 **-HS-**

Harry watched Hermione bite her lip as she focused on her game. Ron had fallen asleep after an hour of listening about the muggle world so he had just cuddled up to Hermione while she played her game. "You'll split your lip if you're not careful!" He warned her.

Hermione sighed in frustration as she blacked out against Red once again. She closed her DS over, turning to him. "New games come out in March. That gives me six months to defeat Red. He is the _**FINAL**_ boss I have to defeat in the game."

Harry chuckled slightly. Videogames weren't something he had really played so he just kissed her cheek. "It's only a game, Mione."

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows. "What did you call me?"

Harry gulped. "Hermione..?" He hugged her tightly.

Hermione relaxed in his arms after a minute. "I'm sorry. I just hate my name being shortened." She whispered softly.

Harry kissed her forehead gently. "Don't worry about it. I understand." He stroked her arm as the scenery outside the train flew past.

Hermione kissed his cheek. "It's going to be a nice year this time." She yawned. "Ron's making me tired."

Harry laughed softly, playing with a lock of her hair. "Why don't you get some sleep? I've people to meet..." He kissed her gently.

Hermione kissed him back, sighing once it ended. "Be careful. I don't like Pureblood politics." She whispered, resting her head on his jacket.

He walked out of the compartment, heading down the car. Sirius had instructed him that most purebloods met in a compartment near the end of the train. He took a deep breath, opening it.

Daphne and Astoria Greengrass sat on one bench, with Blaise Zabini and Lilith Moon across from them. Draco Malfoy and his bodyguards sat at the end of the compartment with Pansy Parkinson. Several older students he didn't know were scattered around the room.

"What are you doing here, Potter?" Malfoy's voice broke the silence that had seeped in since Harry's arrival.

Harry took a seat on one of the empty chairs, chuckling slightly. "For someone who likes to preach Pureblood Philosophy and the superiority of purebloods, you tend to ask stupid questions." He said, trying to remember Sirius' lesson. "This is the place to go when it comes to alliances. And since I am Scion to both House Potter and House Black, I need to start working on mine."

Zabini scoffed. "He's got you there, Malfoy. So, the golden boy finally decides to work on his political career." He opened a bottle of water, taking a large gulp. "You're leaving it a little late." He turned to him. "And who says we want alliances with someone like you? You break bread with blood traitors and mudbloods. You're the enemy to most of our ways of life."

Harry chuckled. "I'm not here to force alliances. But I will remind everyone in this room that fifteen is the age of emancipation. Anyone who isn't in an alliance with my houses will find that repayments will be called in full. No more lax payment plans from the Potters." He stared at Zabini. "Your mother alone owes my family a lot of money. After all, she claims emergency funds every time she's widowed." He reminded him. "I'm not the same person who left in June. I'm finally receiving the lessons that were supposed to be taught to me at a young age. I don't want any ideas of weakness to be thought by any in this room. House Potter will be under the leadership of someone with a strong backbone. Not someone born with a silver spoon in both ends. You may choose to keep schoolyard politics in this, Zabini. But school only lasts four more years as of today. When we leave, so does house pride and division." He took a bottle of water, drinking from it to refresh his throat. "We both know that alliances made in this school last lifetimes. I'm not an unreasonable person. Anyone who wishes to make alliances or work on creating one, I am available."

Daphne raised an eyebrow. "Lord Black is an impeccable teacher. I would like to ask you one thing though...does Weasley know you're here?"

"This is Family business, Heiress Greengrass. While I consider him a brother, Ron isn't family." Harry pointed out. "Now, what does the Weasley family have to do with this?"

Daphne clapped slowly. "Well done. You see, people like to say that you're nothing more than a weakling. I tend not to align my family with weaklings. But I can see fire in those emerald orbs. My father shall be in touch with Lord Black."

Zabini stared at him. "I don't like threats. But I can appreciate your force." He finished his water. "I'm not as starry eyed as Greengrass, but I can keep a wait and see attitude for now."

Harry nodded. "Like I said, people can take their time." He smiled. "I'm sure it'll take us time to forge any form of friendship. But I will say this, my friendship is a powerful thing. Lose it, and it's gone." He bit the inside of his cheek.

Draco smirked. "And what about me, Potter?" He asked curiously. "We're related after all. Your grandmother and mine were sisters."

Harry closed his eyes, remembering to keep his calm. "Could I speak to you privately?"

Draco followed him out of the compartment, standing outside at the railing. "I'm guessing this falls under private and confidential?"

Harry nodded. "Your mother is a trained solicitor, is she not?"

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Yes. As is her sister."

"Andromeda, right?" Harry asked.

"She's disowned. Bellatrix." He corrected.

Harry handed him a letter. "Give this to your mother. Her response will be the alliance we form. I'm also dating Hermione, so no more insults."

Draco took the letter, tucking it into his pocket. "Fair enough." He held his hand out. "I can't control others though."

Harry couldn't stop a smirk for from forming on his face. "Déjà vu." He shook his hand.

Draco laughed. "I suppose it is. I'd watch myself if I was you though, the World Cup was the beginning of something." He said simply, walking back inside.

Harry stood for a moment. He messed with the Potter Family ring, thinking on Draco's words. He watched the lights of Hogsmeade begin to show. He walked back to his compartment, seeing Draco's black owl fly away.

 **-HS-**

Narcissa Malfoy hadn't practiced law in several years. When her son came along she postponed her work until she found a good time to return. After two miscarriages she decided to step her full time with her son and husband. She watched as Hera flew through the window.

"Hello girl, you're here early." She picked the letter from her leg, opening it.

 _Dear Mrs Malfoy,_

 _You have never met me, nor I you. But your cousin tells me that you are highly recommended when it comes to law. My name is Harry James Potter, heir to House Potter and House Black._

 _My families are currently taking criminal charges against my muggle relatives for the crimes of child abuse, fraud, slavery and several other smaller crimes. I require a solicitor of impeccable ethical morals and standards._

 _If you agree, a meeting has been set for 6:45p.m. in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. If however you do not wish to become a solicitor, simply burn this letter._

 _In either event I would ask that you keep this matter private._

 _Respectively Yours,_

 _Harry James Potter_

She read the letter again, finishing her tea. The fact that Sirius had mentioned her by name had peaked her curiosity greatly. She longed for the chance to return to law as of late, and Draco would be at school until Easter with the Tri-Wizard Tournament being held, so the chance of such a high profile case was certainly appealing.

She quickly grabbed some parchment and a quill. She dipped the quill in ink, quickly penning her response. The clocked chimed seven, the school's feast would be beginning soon.

 **-HS-**

Ron shook his head again, gripping his fist. "You cannot be serious!" He snapped out.

Harry took deep breaths. "You saw the bars on the window. Surely you knew that wasn't normal?"

Hermione stroked his back gently. "Ronald, soft tones...please..."

Ron nodded, quickly turning to Harry. "I never thought it was that bad, mate." He said truthfully. "But Narcissa Malfoy as your solicitor...are you sure?"

Harry moved his head slightly. "Ron, Sirius was hinting that his cousin Andromeda was a great solicitor, but she was disowned, it'd look bad if I chose her as my solicitor. The entire Wizengamot is old school Pureblood."

Ron groaned in frustration. It was true, the Wizengamot wouldn't take someone like Andromeda seriously. Her past was muddied for her to be respected. "I'm sorry. You know what you're doing." He whispered. "C-Can I see?"

Hermione frowned. "Ron!"

Harry stared at them. "I've never voluntarily shown anyone. Your mother saw when she asked me about it, but it was because my shirt ripped. But you two have stuck by me through thick and thin." He stood up, unbuttoning the shirt. He let it fall, turning to the fireplace so they could both see.

Hermione's hand went straight to her mouth. The larger scars had obviously healed long ago, but one or two had a more recent look to them. "Those animals..." She whispered to herself. "How..? How are you...you?" She asked. "You shouldn't have any love or compassion for anyone. You should be full of hatred and anger." She felt tears hit her hand.

Ron's knuckles had turned white from the tight grip he held on the armrest. "We should've murdered them in second year." He said coldly. "I'm sorry, Harry...for every time I've thought I wanted your life...I'm sorry." He said softly, wiping his own tears.

Harry fixed his shirt back on, closing his eyes. "You two are my closest friends. Hermione, you're the first person who ever saw through the mask. I know we fight sometimes, and that I can be..." He chuckled. "A little withdrawn at times. But I love you guys." Hermione hugged him tightly while Ron turned it into a group hug.

"We're here for you, mate." Ron whispered.

Hermione slapped their heads gently. "You two are such...boys. Fighting one day and friends the next."

Both of them laughed gently. "It's nearly midnight, we should go to bed." Harry whispered.

All of them went up to bed, ready for their first day of school.


	7. The First Brick Falls

**Chapter Six: The First Brick Falls**

Harry woke up the next day, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He grabbed his shower stuff and went to the communal showers, taking a deep breath. He stepped through, seeing Ron smiling at him.

"Never thought you'd come in here." He chuckled.

Harry shrugged, walking to the lockers. "It's going to come out anyway, Ron. Hermione wants me to try and, work through the...you know."

Ron nodded, rubbing the back of his head. "The fourth year showers aren't too crowded, so you should be fine."

Harry bit the inside of his cheek. "Maybe I'll just use the Quidditch shower room..." He took shaky breaths.

Ron nodded his understanding. "Don't worry, you can take it at your pace." He smiled.

Harry began walking around, but stopped at the door. Sirius' voice called in his head, remembering him to keep his head up high. He shed his clothes, walking into the showers.

Most of his roommates stopped dead once they saw the injuries on his back. He ignored the soft whispers that began to fill the room afterwards, walking back out to get dressed. He saw Ron giving him the power sign. He fixed his clothes on, taking a moment to compose himself.

He walked ahead of everyone, sitting at his usual spot. He saw the sickly green potion his mother had gotten for him at the plate. He downed it quickly, gulping down some pumpkin juice afterwards. He hated the taste, but he had gained at least seven pounds in the last month. He smiled as Hermione and Ron sat on each side of him.

Hermione kissed his cheek, pouring herself some tea. "Ron told me what happened. I'm proud of you."

He played with his food. "Thanks. It's just...I'm not sure if I like the whispers." He picked at the eggs.

Hermione kissed his cheek again. "Well at least you can't enter the Tri-Wizard Tournament." She grinned. "So it'll die down by the time the new schools come next week."

Ron rolled his eyes. "It's shite we can't enter though."

Harry shook his head. "I've had enough 'glory' to last a lifetime." He pointed out. "I'm content with just relaxing and enjoying a normal year." He kissed Hermione's cheek.

Ron nodded in agreement. "We've Mad-Eye Moody's class first."

Harry grinned. "He trained Dad and Sirius when they were in the Corps. He's the leading authority on Defence Against the Dark Arts and his essays on the use of Dark Magic in light ways are really interesting."

Hermione and Ron sat open mouthed at him. "You've read Mad-Eye's essays?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded. "I've been reading all Sirius's old research materials from the Auror Corps. They're like the only line of defence against dark wizards and Voldemort."

"Another dream?" Hermione asked.

Harry shrugged. "Same as the last one, except the strange man isn't there anymore."

Ron frowned. "Have you mentioned them to Dumbledore?"

Harry shook his head. "If they happen to change, I'll inform him."

Hermione's brow furrowed as she thought of the nightmares. "Have you told your mum about them?"

Harry shook his head, finishing his breakfast. "I've some of Mad-Eye's essays if you want to read them, Hermione?" He asked, hoping to change the subject.

Hermione's eyes lit up. "Can I see them?" She asked.

Harry opened his bag, taking out a couple of books. "The first is his complete set of essays on the use of Dark Magic in good ways. The second is how to use nonlethal spells in lethal ways."

Hermione grinned. "These are first editions, Harry."

He nodded. "Signed by the author himself."

She opened it, reading the handwritten note.

 _To pisspot,_

 _You've somehow managed to become an Auror. Merlin how standards have dropped._

 _Don't get killed!_

 _Alastor Moody_

"I suppose he was hard on your dad." She surmised.

Harry chuckled. "Read the review on the back."

She flipped to the review page.

 _"If ever you need to use childhood spells again, this book is a great read. The author's brain is that of a child's. I'm honoured to say that the author trained me, and I'll highly recommend it to anyone."_

 _James Potter - Auror_

Hermione laughed softly as she closed the book. "Your dad was obviously close to him. Maybe he'll have interesting stories."

Harry kissed her cheek. "Let's get to class." He grabbed his bag, walking ahead.

Hermione sighed sadly. "He's trying to hide it."

Ron nodded. "I'll keep an eye on him in the dorms." He promised.

She ruffled his hair. "Thanks Ron." She walked after Harry, holding his hand once she caught up with him.

Ginny smiled sympathetically at her brother. "I'm sorry, Ron." She whispered.

He smiled back. "They're our friends. We'll always be there for them."

Ginny nodded. "You're being really mature." She said softly, feeling proud of her brother.

 **-HS-**

The Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom changed every year, it was just part of the usual school year. Mad-Eye had taken to filling it with old wanted posters of different wizards and witches, all of whom looked menacing and dangerous. The small parts of the walls that weren't covered by posters had words written on them.

Harry, Hermione and Ron took their seats at the head of the class, glancing around at the different pictures.

"That's Rodolphus Lestrange." Harry pointed at one picture. "His wife and brother are locked up in Azkaban. Have been since '96."

Hermione's eyes moved from one image to another. "This is going to scare the first years." She whispered. She couldn't help but feel a little scared herself. Some of the people pictured were well known for killing and hurting muggleborns.

Ron frowned at one of the pictures. "Antonin Dolohov. He was the one who murdered my uncles. Fabian and Giedon fought off five Death Eaters before they died. At his trial, Dolohov bragged about the fact his spell killed them." He stared at the image. "Moody's class is going to be interesting."

Harry nodded. "Hopefully he's as fun in class as Professor Lupin was." He grabbed his quill and ink, pulling out a large scroll of parchment.

Mad-Eye hobbled into the classroom, his walking cane banging the ground with every step. "You three are early. Class don't start for another five minutes."

Harry stared at him. "I wanted to get here early, Professor. You were my father's mentor when he was in the Auror Corps."

Mad-Eye's magical eye closed in on him. "Potter. I trained your old man, and your godfather. Two complete twits who became the greatest duo of Aurors I've seen since my partner died." He stared at the books. "Your father kept them?"

Harry nodded. "So did Sirius, sir." He felt his blood chill.

Mad-Eye gave what had to be the scariest smile possible. "You want to follow in their footsteps?" He asked curiously.

Harry nodded slightly. "According to Sirius a lot of Potters have been Aurors at one point in their lives."

Mad-Eye chuckled. "I see. Open your book to page fifteen, pisspot."

Harry opened his book, trying not to smile. "The unforgivable spells?"

Moody nodded. "Now that all the class are here, I should start." He limped to the chalkboard. "My name is Alastor Moody. For the next nine months I'm going to be the one teacher you dread to see." He let his eye turn. "Finnegan, store your gum somewhere besides your desk!"

Seamus stared open mouthed. "The old codger can see from the back of his head?" He whispered to Dean.

"And hear across classrooms!" Moody threw some chalk at him. "Now, I'm here as a personal favour to Professor Dumbledore. This will be my only year of teaching, so I plan to stick as much knowledge as I can into your tiny skulls." He wrote the word 'unforgivables' on the board. "Who can tell me about the unforgivables?"

Hermione raised her hand. "The unforgivable curses are three spells, they are named so because to use any of them is unforgivable. The penalty for using one is-"

"A one way ticket to Azkaban." Moody finished for her. "Now, the ministry doesn't want me to show you these spells, but I say you must be prepared!"

Harry frowned. He tapped Hermione's foot, scribbling on his parchment.

 _You don't think he's going to use them? Do you?_

Hermione shrugged slightly. Moody grabbed a spider from a glass tank. "Engorgio." The spider grew three times its size. "Someone give me an unforgivable. Weasley!"

Ron jumped, standing up. "Well, my dad did tell me about one sir, the Imperius Curse."

Moody nodded. "Your father would know about that one. Gave the Ministry a a lot of pain after the last war." He pointed his wand at the spider. "Imperio!" He placed it on the table, making it run around.

Ron squealed as the spider landed on his head. "Get it off!" He shouted.

Draco burst out laughing, banging the desk with his hand.

Moody grinned. "Think that's funny, do you?" He flew the spider onto Draco's face, laughing as he ran around. After a moment he placed the spider over a bucket of water. "The Imperius Curse allows anyone with intent to control someone of a weaker mind. You can force someone to jump out a window." He lowered the spider slightly. "Or drown themselves." He placed the spider on his desk, ending the spell. "Another one?"

Neville raised his hand. "T-The Cruciatus Curse..." He said, his voice shaking.

Moody's regular eye lit up. "Longbottom, is it?" He ushered him over. "Nasty thing the Cruciatus. Hits all the pain receptors in the brain." He pointed his wand at the spider again. "Crucio!" He cast. Small squealing noises came from the spider, which was trashing around the table.

Neville stared at the spider, his expression and knuckles turning white.

Hermione raised to her feet. "Stop it! Can't you see it's bothering him? STOP IT!"

Moody broke the spell, looking at Neville. "Take your seat, lad." He limped over to Hermione, staring into her eyes. "Maybe you'd like to tell us the final spell, Ms Granger?"

Hermione shook her head, tears coming to her eyes.

"No?" He asked curiously. "Fine." He swung around to the spider. "Avada Kedavra!" He shouted.

Harry stared at the green light that had haunted his dreams for years.

"The Killing Curse. Only one person has been known to survive it. And he's sitting in this room." Moody laughed softly. "Write that all down."

 **-HS-**

Neville walked down the stairs in a daze, staring out the window. Harry caught up to him first, standing beside him. "Are you ok, Neville?"

He shook his head. "I'll be grand in a few minutes. It's just...my-"

"Longbottom!" Moody called out. "Come to my office for a few minutes. I'd like to have a chat with you."

Neville nodded. "Sure, Professor."

Harry walked down to Hermione and Ron. "So that was the Killing Curse?" He wrapped his arm around Hermione. "I've always seen it in my sleep. But..."

Hermione kissed him gently. "Shh. Don't think about it. We have Charms next. Let's see how long it takes Ron or Seamus to knock Flitwick off his books."

Ron laughed. "Hey. I'm not that bad at Charms."

Hermione walked with them. "Well, you aren't the worst, but you're not the greatest either."

Harry chuckled. "She's egging you on, mate." He walked into the Charms Classroom, taking a seat closer to the front.

Ron rolled his eyes. "What's up with sitting this close to the front?"

Harry took out his textbook. "Because Ron, we should be putting more effort into our schoolwork. We have four years left including this one. We have to think about how we're going to progress further." He turned his full attention to his friend. "If I have any chance of taking my lordship next year...I need to focus." His eyes shone with determination.

Hermione smiled at the sight of his determination. She agreed with his sentiments. It was time for them to consider what to do after Hogwarts.

 **-HS-**

Tony adjusted the new faceplate on to the Mark VIII carefully. He heard the door open as he welded the finally joint into place. "I hope that's you, Jarvis."

Lily smiled. "Nope. Just your wife." She sat down on one of the chairs close to the suit. "What's this one do?"

He shrugged. "Right now, it's just a normal suit, but if my plan works, it can shrink or expand to fit any person."

She placed her feet on the table. "Sounds like something we should keep locked up. It's bad enough Rhodes has the Mark II." She glanced over at the armoury. "We can't afford to lose any more suits."

Tony chuckled. "That's a fair point, but Rhodes can be trusted with the suit." He grabbed a drill, drilling the last screw in. "Still missing Harry?"

She nodded. "I wrote a letter today, I'll send it off later. He left Hedwig here so I could write."

Tony smirked. "Or you could use the webcams on the tablets and actually talk."

Lily's eyes widened. "You mean I can talk to him face to face?" She asked, bouncing in her seat.

He leaned down, kissing her gently. "You think I'd leave you without his voice for months?"

She held onto him. "I've got an idea. Why don't you include a briefcase function? Like the Mark V?"

Tony licked his lips a little. "Now that could be interesting." He kissed her forehead, moving back to the suit. "You'll need to get ready for maternity leave, Lily."

She sighed. "I know. But then I'll have nothing to do for months." She rubbed her stomach. "Babies are easy to care for once you know what the hell you're doing." She stared at Tony. "Only three months to go."

Tony grinned. "Yeah. Are you sure you don't want to know the gender?"

Lily nodded. "I'm sure. J-" She closed her eyes. "James and I waited until the birth. It made it all the more special."

Tony looked over at her. "Any news on the grave?"

Lily looked away from him, staring at the older suits. "They'll be exhuming the remains today. I'll know who she was next week."

Tony kissed her cheek. "She's not going to have your name anymore, don't worry."

 _"Sir. Reports have come in from S.H.I.E.L.D. Several insurgents have holed up in Dazker. They have Stark Industries technology."_

Tony sighed slightly. "Prepare the Mark VI." He kissed Lily one more time, walking towards the armoury. "I'll be home as soon as I can." He held his arms up. "J.A.R.V.I.S, prepare the Quinjet and get Fury's strike team mobilised."

 _"Of course, sir."_

Lily smiled weakly. "Please...be careful..."

Tony nodded. "I'll call you later. Try and call Harry...it might make you feel better."

Lily nodded, smiling at him. "Go get 'em, Tiger."

Tony winked, setting the faceplate into position. "I always do." He flew through the tunnel.

 **-HS-**

James 'Rhodey' Rhodes had been a friend of Tony's since childhood. The two met at military school in the early eighties. He thought he knew Tony as much as most of his closest friends did. When Tony approached him about working off the books with S.H.I.E.L.D, he couldn't believe what his friend was proposing.

He watched as Tony blasted two tanks. "You're slipping, Rhodey."

Rhodes laughed, twirling around to down three insurgents with RPGs. "I think you're more focused on what colour to paint the nursery."

Tony blasted the last of the tanks, flying towards the base. "90 insurgents." He smirked. "50/50?"

Rhodes laughed again. "How about winner buys the drinks?"

Tony grinned. "You're on." He flew through the window, blasting any enemy in his line of fire.

Rhodes went through a different window, taking out anyone with a weapon. He flew out once it was done, seeing the Quinjet land. "Fury's boys are late again."

Tony landed beside him. "The jet's still in the prototype stage." He opened the faceplate, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "How many did you take out?"

"Forty." Rhodes removed the full helmet.

"Drinks are on you then." He laughed. "Want to fly back to mine? We'll call ahead, have food made."

Rhodes nodded. "Sure. But I'm going to need a shower. These damn things need ventilation systems."

Tony nodded. "It'd have to be a one way vent system. Otherwise it'd destroy a lot of functions."

Rhodes walked onto the landing zone. "Welcome to the party. The insurgents are inside. Ten dead and eighty alive." He tossed a small tablet to one of the men. "Now, while you guys round everyone up, we're going to shower and relax."

Tony walked to the kitchen of the jet. "Hey! Where's my flight attendants?" He shouted to the strike team.

One man turned around. "Civilians aren't allowed to be in the Quinjet, Mr Stark. They're at S.H.I.E.L.D, enjoying a well deserved vacation."

Tony sighed. "Ok, which one of you slackjaws used to work in a small town bar?" He asked, falling into his chair.

The man laughed. "Rodriguez, get your ass in here!" He placed his gun on the table. "Rod's the best bartender S.H.I.E.L.D has. He'll take care of you and Col Rhodes."

Tony grinned. "Great. Rod, go to the bar area and fix me a Manhattan. Thanks."

Rodriguez glared at him, heading to the bar. "Six years in Spec Ops. Five in Black Ops...now I'm making cocktails for a rich boy."

Tony smirked. "Well you guys denied my bar staff. So be happy I don't have you wearing a dress."

Rhodes shook his head as he walked out of the shower. "You've got serious problems."

Tony laughed. "Well, someone has to."

 **-HS-**

Sirius glanced around the room, examining the different gadgets and technology that were scattered around the room. Lily had invited him around to talk about Harry's progress. He watched as Jarvis filled his cup with tea before leaving the room.

Lily picked her cup up, taking a light sip of her tea. "I know you're upset. And I can understand why." She said softly. "The Widow's Promise."

Sirius closed his eyes, running a hand through his hair. "I really want to hate you for that, but James wouldn't want me to treat you like shit." He chuckled weakly. "The Widow's Promise. It has to be the biggest load of crap Purebloods ever spouted." He sipped his tea. "And for the Widow, she must remained unmarried until her heir comes of age. For her to break this shall bring great shame to her old Family." He recited by heart. "I'm sorry for being so cold with you, Lils."

Lily placed her hand on his. "You're only looking out for your friend." She smiled. "They've exhumed her body from the plot..." She bit her lip. "By this time next week...I'll know."

Sirius wrapped his arm around her. "You'll see. It was one of the old gang." He said sadly. "How's it going with Harry?"

She laughed weakly. "Oh you know...he doesn't trust my husband...in fact, he basically told me that all muggles are scum. The venom in his voice."

He sighed. "He was drunk, Lily. Probably just venting all his teenage angst stuff. I used to be the same."

Lily shook her head. "There was conviction in his words, Sirius. He believed every word of what he said to me. And I can't blame him. If I had come back when I heard...I'd have my son...you'd of been free..."

"But you wouldn't have had Tony." He finished her thoughts.

Lily nodded. "I love him, Siri. When I was down and close to the abyss, he pulled me back up and made the pain disappear for a while." She felt tears fall. "I hated myself when I found out I was pregnant again. I promised myself that I'd never have another baby as long as I lived. I'd never allow myself to replace him. I wanted to get rid of my baby...but I couldn't help but fall in love with the idea of a second chance. A chance to redeem myself."

Sirius wiped the tears from her eyes. "You always were the compassionate one. I'm not sure if it helps, but I know you're still going to continue to be a great mother." He kissed her cheek.

Lily smiled softly, stroking her stomach. "I remember when I was pregnant with Harry. You rubbed my stomach more than James did most times."

Sirius nodded. "After Marlene passed away." He whispered sadly. He hadn't thought about Marlene McKinnon for many years now. "She was pregnant..." He said softly. "Only a few weeks along, so we were keeping it a secret. When she..." He sniffled. "When she died, it was you, James and Harry who kept me alive."

Lily wrapped her arms around him. "Look, I'll always love you and Remy. You were my friends as well as his." She kissed his cheek. "You're still my friend, Sirius Orion Black. You'll always be family to me and Harry." She placed his hand on her stomach. "And you'll be family to this little one too."


	8. Risky Venture

**Chapter Seven: Risky Venture**

* * *

Hogwarts seemed a lot more relaxing since Harry began to work past his demons. Classes started to become more interesting. The homework became fun to do and life just seemed to be a lot easier.

Harry sat across from Ron, grinning. "Knight to E7."

Ron shook his head. "Queen to D5. Checkmate. That was fun."

Harry rubbed his forehead. "How? I followed the damn book's instructions to the letter."

Ron laughed. "I read that when I was six."

Harry frowned. "Prick." He laughed, watching as Hedwig flew down beside him. "Hey girl." He took the package from her leg, feeding her some owl treats.

"Your mum?" Ron guessed.

Harry nodded, opening the package. "Wow." He smiled softly, taking out a selection of artisan toffees and sweets. He picked up the letter, opening it.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _Tony and I were in France for the annual Smart Energy Conference. I found this quaint little shop that stocked a variety of toffees and other nutty sweets. Sirius was telling me about a professor of yours who has a habit of insulting you and James._

 _I've set a meeting for Sunday night. I know that's the same day you're meeting with Narcissa Malfoy, but I'll have an afternoon meeting so it doesn't conflict._

 _Tony's coming with me, mostly because Dumbledore is interested in working on a muggle world workshop for the Muggle Studies class._

 _See you soon._

 _Love_

 _Mum_

Harry sipped his pumpkin juice, playing with the destroyed king. "She's coming to talk to Snape." He said, watching the Potion Master carefully.

Ron nodded slightly. "That's a good thing." He said. "Think of how much crap Snape got away with. You're not orphan Harry anymore. Don't worry about it."

Harry smiled, setting up his quill and ink. He grabbed some parchment, focusing on what to say.

 _Dear Mum,_

 _School's going great. Thanks to Hermione's help and the lessons from Sirius, I'm starting to excel in classes I once struggled in. Thank you for the sweets, the smell of them alone has my mouth watering._

 _It's your choice to set up meetings with any of my teachers if you believe it to be important. Snape is one of the most corrupt teachers I have ever seen in my life. It'll nice to see you on Sunday. And please bring Mr Jarvis along if you can, I actually miss the old butler._

 _Love,_

 _Harry_

He sealed the letter into an envelope, placing it on Hedwig's leg. "Stay the night." He instructed her as he inspected her feathers. "And when you get back, I'll give you a nice bath." He promised.

Hedwig nipped his ear, flying off to the distance.

Ron watched Hedwig fly away. "She's going to have a restless year." He laughed, repairing the chess pieces.

Harry smiled, glancing at the window Hedwig had just flown out of. "Yeah." He chuckled. He noticed Hermione sitting on the loveseat, her DS in hand. "Any luck?"

Hermione tossed the DS beside her, her teeth grinding slightly. "I want to commit a mass genocide against Pikachu!"

Harry laughed, moving over to her. "How about some French artisan toffee?"

Hermione took one of the sweets, popping it into her mouth. "Hmm, these are amazing!"

Harry grinned, trying one for himself. "Ron? Want one?"

Ron nodded, catching the sweet once it came in his direction. "Hmm. Your mum's got good taste."

Harry smiled softly, resting his head on her shoulder. "Have you thought about breeding an Espeon? Psychic and Future Sight could beat him."

Hermione grinned. "Harry James Potter, you're playing Soul Silver, aren't you?"

Harry smirked a little. "Five days, five badges."

Hermione frowned. "What was your starter?" She asked.

"Quilava. Well he's one now." Harry chuckled. "I've also got a Noctowl, Poliwhirl, Scyther and a Raikou."

Hermione's eyes widened. "YOU CAUGHT RAIKOU?!" She jumped up and down. "Show me!"

Harry rolled his eyes, opening his DS. He booted the game. He wrapped his arm around her, showing her his party. "Raikou is the strongest Pokemon I have."

Hermione smiled. "I'm still chasing the one in my game. I caught Entei and Suicune though."

Harry relaxed against the sofa with her, kissing her cheek. "Quilava is a cool Pokemon. Noctowl is cool too."

Hermione kissed him gently, closing his DS. "You're such a good boyfriend." She whispered.

 **-HS-**

Tony groaned as Lily told him about the meeting with Snape. "So Sev is apparently being a dick to Harry? Jesus, I haven't seen him in years."

Lily nodded, rubbing her stomach gently. "And Professor Dumbledore wants to speak to you about creating a muggle workshop for the Muggle Studies class."

Tony's eyes lit up at the idea of working on something new. "Will I have full control of what's placed in it?" He asked as the gears in his head started turning.

Lily sighed. "As long as you don't blow the castle to pieces."

Tony kissed her softly, patting her stomach. "Don't worry. We can't have our baby going without a magical school."

Lily rolled her eyes. "We don't know if the baby's magical." She pointed out. "We've a one in four chance of it happening."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Every time you sneeze you're blasting part of the windows away."

Lily pouted. "I destroyed the west wing of Potter Manor when I was pregnant with Harry." She sat down.

Tony laughed. "I'll reinforce the penthouse then. I think it'll be nice if we stay there until the summer. It'll give you and Harry time to bond in your own country."

Lily smiled. "Thanks. It's going to take me a while to get reacquainted with the magical community."

Tony kissed her again, smiling softly. "You're the most important thing to me, Lily."

Lily kissed him back. "You're not getting lucky tonight." She whispered into his ear, returning to her work.

Tony rolled his eyes. "It's all sex with you." He teased. "Sometimes a man just wants to be cuddled."

Lily smirked. "Well when this baby's born, you'll be cuddling yourself for a long time." She winked, heading to her office. Sometimes teasing Tony was the best part of her day.

Tony rolled his eyes, heading to the armoury. He hit the activation system, seeing new schematics for a glider suit and several small doodles. "Goldmine." He grinned, moving the data to the 3D holographic layout. "J.A.R.V.I.S, you up?"

 _"For you sir, always."_

"Test the new blueprints against every man made and man known metals." He tapped the interface.

 _"No metals found with the weight reduction numbers put in. Shall I extend my search?"_

Tony clicked his tongue. "No. Send an email to Harry's tablet. Tell him to get the weight of all magical metals."

 _"Of course, sir. Your gluten free waffles are ready."_

Tony smirked. "Excellent." He shut down the equipment, heading to the kitchen. He grabbed the plate of waffles, pouring syrup over them.

J.A.R.V.I.S scanned the surrounding area. _"Sir, there's someone attempting to break into the armoury."_

Tony sighed, walking down to the armoury. "Come out, Wade. I know you're here."

A dark chuckle came from the end of the room. "Very good." He pulled two katana out, pointing them towards him. "We've been expecting you."

"Put the damn arc reactor down." Tony snapped, placing a gauntlet on. ""What do you want?"

The man walked towards him. "I need a power source, Stark. It's nothing personal."

"Deadpool, I don't think you understand the power of that device." Tony pointed the gauntlet at him.

Deadpool chuckled. "Time out!" He turned slightly. "Hello dear reader. Don't worry about the guy with the shiny glove." He chuckled. "My name is Deadpool. I'm from the comic universe that this crossover steals from. Now I'm not a huge fan of Harry, but I had to show up. Let me give you the skinny. I'm an invincible mercenary with a healing factor that could outlive any of you." He walked over, scribbling a penis on Tony's cheek. "I'm allowing the author that one. Now, when I steal this puppy and deliver it to my client, I'll be loaded."

"Deadpool!" A voice bellowed.

"Fine! I'll get back to the story." Deadpool sighed. He clicked his fingers.

"It could easily destroy an entire continent if you let it fall into the wrong hands." Tony frowned. "When did you move?"

Deadpool whistled, moving away from him. "I was always standing there." He said simply. "Tell you what, pay my fee and I'll leave."

Tony fired at the reactor core, grabbing it tight. "No deal." He crushed the reactor.

Deadpool frowned. "Now you've done it." He swung the sword, aiming for his head.

Tony side stepped him, shooting off Deadpool's arm. "Get out of here before I cut you into a million little pieces."

Deadpool frowned. "Hey, that suit takes ages to repair!" He shouted.

Tony frowned. "Mark V." He called out.

 _"Of course sir."_ J.A.R.V.I.S activated the armour, locking Deadpool into it and flying him out of the room. The suit came back an hour later, scratched up in places. _"He put up a fight."_

Tony rolled his eyes. "Lock this place up and run special scans every five minutes for Deadpool." He said, returning to his waffles. "That guy's a pain in the ass."

 **-o0o-**

Lily groaned as Jarvis finally stopped the car. The five hour drive from London to Hogwarts had been pure chaos for her. She stepped out of the car, staring up at the castle for the first time in many years. "I haven't seen this beautiful place in over a decade."

Tony stepped out the other side, placing his sunglasses on. "This is Hogwarts? I was expecting a golden castle floating over a giant diamond."

Jarvis stood from the car, locking it. He walked alongside with Tony and Lily, heading to the castle. "The architecture is beautiful."

Harry stood at the entrance. "Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. My name is Harry Potter, I'll be your guide for the day."

Tony smirked. "This is terrible service. Here nearly a minute and we still don't have booze."

Harry chuckled. "I'm sorry, Mr Stark. But our school has a strict 'no alcohol' policy." He opened the main door. "I've been asked to escort you to Professor Snape's office."

Lily smiled. "Lead the way, Mr Potter." She said softly.

Harry began moving towards the stairs. "Be careful. The staircases have a habit of moving on their own free will."

Jarvis examined several of the different portraits. "And who are these fellows?"

Harry stopped. "The man on your right is an inventor. He designed the wand holster." He moved his eyes. "Mr Damocles here designed unique metals that bend with the person's body shape."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Harry nodded. "Unfortunately the metal gained extreme density that makes an ounce of it feel like a pound."

Tony mentally cursed. "I see." He continued walking with them. "What's with the formality?"

Harry opened another door. "I've been asked to be the liaison to the other schools." He explained, stopping outside Snape's office. "Enjoy yourselves." He said blandly.

Lily placed her hand on his shoulder. "You're coming in with us, Harry. He's not going to harass you anymore."

Harry nodded, walking into the room with them. He saw several seats scattered around the room. "Mr and Mrs Stark are here to see you." Jarvis took a seat, clearing his throat. "And their butler, Edwin Jarvis."

Snape took his seat behind his desk. "You may leave now, Mr Potter."

Lily took her seat. "Actually, my son will remain in the room so we may corroborate your view."

Harry sat beside her, keeping his hands on his lap. Tony took the other side, chuckling. "It's been a long time, Sev."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Years." He replied in a droll voice. "So, may I ask what this is about, Mrs Stark?"

Lily stared at her old friend carefully. "It's come to my attention that you have a habit of insulting my son in your classes, as well as my late husband." She used her business tone, keeping her face neutral. "I decided to get your side of the story before I placed a complaint with the Board of Governors."

Severus' face began to create a slight sneer. "My problem with your son is his complete lack of regard for rules or potion making." He said coldly. "Not to mention his disregard for other students. He has a nasty habit of fighting with members of Slytherin House."

Tony remained quiet, keeping one of his arms around Lily to keep her calm. He watched Harry closely. "No offence, Professor Snape, but from what we've heard, you've been verbally assaulting Harry for years."

Severus bit the inside of his cheek. "Your only source of information has been Mr Potter I suppose?"

Lily shook her head. "No. My main source of information has been Molly Weasley and Hermione Granger. Both women refused to talk about my son's life, but both mentioned that _**you**_ have been the one person who has come up whenever Harry has had problems in school." She felt Tony's hand massage her back gently and tried to calm herself down. "My son has shown nothing but respect to me and his stepfather, as well as all the staff of our home."

Snape smirked slightly. "I find that hard to believe. Mr Potter is known for his contempt of the Muggle World."

Harry closed his eyes, trying not to shout. His mother wanted to lead the issue. After the drunken incident, he wanted to make amends. "I've contempt for abusers, not muggles." He said through gritted teeth.

Lily wrapped her arm around him, hoping he wouldn't feel uncomfortable. "I'm going to make it easy, Sev. Our past friendship does not mean I'll take your word over my son's. I'll be placing a complaint with the Board of Governors if I find out that you're continuing to insult my family."

Snape began to write something down on a piece of parchment. "If you believe I have behaved outside the conduct of a Hogwarts Professor, please contact Professor Dumbledore to lodge a proper complaint." He signed his name on the paper. "This is a letter stating that I have met with you and Mr Stark about your son." He stared at Lily. "It's good to see you again, Lily."

Lily stared back. "I wish I could say the same, Severus. I'm incredibly disappointed in your behaviour."

Tony stood up. "Sev, you haven't changed a bit." He walked out with Harry, Jarvis and Lily. "Well, we're booked in for the day. I know you've a meeting with your solicitor."

Harry nodded. "You're both welcome to come." He said quietly.

Lily stared at him. "Of course we will." She gave him a large hug. "You've gained some weight." She said happily.

Harry wrapped his arms around her lightly, smiling to himself. "Would Mr Stark like to see the Gryffindor Dorms?" He asked politely.

Tony chuckled slightly. "I would love to see where Lily used to sit and think about me." He wrapped his arm around his wife.

Lily rolled her eyes. "More like where James and I used to talk for hours." She corrected him, poking his nose. She continued walking with her husband and son, seeing the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Fair lady, it's been a long time." She bowed slightly.

"Lily Potter, or Stark so I've been led to believe." She chuckled. "Violet will be amazed that you're truly alive." She stared at Harry. "Password."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Ears closed people." He waited for a minute. "Patroni." He spoke softly. He brought the trio into the Common Room, seeing Hermione dancing around. "Hermione?"

Hermione bounced around, kissing him deeply. "I beat Red!" She grinned.

Harry laughed, kissing her back. He kept an arm around her, looking at Ron. "How's the education going?"

He put his quill down. "I feel like tearing my hair out Harry." He sighed gently, smiling at the Starks. "Mr Stark, Mrs Stark." He waved to them. "Mr Jarvis."

Jarvis gained a worried look on his face. "This place is absolutely ghastly. It could use a lick of paint and some more modern looks." He grabbed his measuring tape, checking the size of the walls and carpet.

Tony chuckled. "And people wonder why he hasn't retired." He cleared his throat. "J, remember, we're guests here."

Jarvis placed the tape back into his pocket. "Quite right. I do offer my apologies students." He chuckled quietly, fixing the buttons on his jacket. "I'd like to offer my services if you ever do want to redecorate."

Harry couldn't help but laugh as everyone just stared at the odd man in the suit. He spent an hour in the Common Room with everyone, listening to stories about the old days in the castle.

 **-o0o-**

Narcissa Malfoy took a large sip of tea, placing the cup down on the saucer. She watched her cousin's movements closely, trying to see if she could be focus on his intentions. Lily Potter...Stark was sitting across from her, resting her head on her new husband's shoulder.

Her gaze moved to the focus of the meeting, Harry James Potter. The young man sat with the Stark's butler, speaking about wallpaper patterns and other such nonsensical things.

She finished her tea, clearing her throat. "May we begin the meeting?"

Harry nodded. "I was waiting on you to finish your tea. It's rude not to serve some form of refreshments to a guest." He said softly, standing up. "What do you know about Muggle guardianship of magical relatives?"

Narcissa frowned. "It's a touchy issue. If no magical guardians can be found, then it is the right of the muggles to gain guardianship. May I ask what this is about?"

Harry sighed. "What if I told you our Ministry had to protect someone? Someone who had defeated a Dark Lord? They proclaimed the child dead and worked on moving him to his muggle relatives as a safety precaution. It was needed though, the only person who had custodial rights had been under trial for being a member of the terrorist organisation known as the Death Eaters." He paced around the room. "The child's mother had been a gentle soul. A woman who had been loved by many of her friends and colleagues. A woman who was believed to have sacrificed herself for her infant son." He could hear Lily sniffle quietly. "Her muggle sister took her son. She hated magic, despised it with a flaming passion to be completely honest. It was that hatred as well as a husband with a hatred for anything he viewed as abnormal that brings us here today." He glanced over at Sirius quickly, trying to keep his composure.

Narcissa stared at the young man in front of her. "This is serious, Potter. If what you're saying is true, then you're asking me to take on the trial of the century..."

Harry nodded. "I am. Most of the Ministry is unaware of what happened to me. But there's a few documents that proves the Bagnold Administration had a full list of my injuries up until Fudge was elected." He clenched his jaw. His mind was clouded, he found it impossible to concentrate and all he felt like was a stiff drink. "I'm offering you not only the chance to represent me as my solicitor, I'm offering you a chance for your own practice."

Narcissa turned to Sirius. "Is this some sort of trick?"

Sirius chuckled. "I wish it was. It turns out that Harry here is extremely gifted when it comes to the political process. I had suggested Andromeda for the job, but he turned it around for the Black Family." He chuckled. "Harry's working on a way to form the magical world's first real law firm. He's being working really hard on this, Cissy."

Narcissa rolled her eyes. "I'm a grown woman, not your babysitter. If Harry has a proposal, then it is up to him to show it to me."

Harry took a deep breath. "Ok." He opened his bag, taking out several tablets. "I've been using a muggle device to show you my proposal." He threw the tablets around the room. "J.A.R.V.I.S, bring up file Black Legal."

 _"Of course, Mr Potter."_ J.A.R.V.I.S responded.

A large scale system of names and buildings began to appear above them. Harry moved closer to the map section. "There are six vacant buildings in Diagon Alley that could be used for a law firm of this proposed size. The best one is the old Daily Prophet building from the 1800s. It has the right amount of space needed to hold a diverse range of clientele and other facilities." He tapped a button on the remote, changing the scene to the list of names. "All are muggleborn, half-blood or Pureblood. They're the best in all areas of law. Sirius and I will front the start-up costs and lease the building. Your job will be the same as Andromeda's, you'll be focusing on employing a staff and running the operation."

Narcissa took shaky breath. "You're talking about the largest law firm possible. Why would you care about this?"

Harry chuckled. "Mrs Malfoy, you're an intelligent woman. Our society is stuck in a stagnant time period that the rest of the world has moved past. Over the next ten years, Sirius, my stepfather Tony and I are hoping to modernise the Wizarding community of England. We're talking intense new policies and procedures. We need the best of the best working for us. You and your sister are the first steps to making our community greater." He motioned for Tony to come over.

Tony stood, moving the system to a map of Hogwarts. "After this, I'm meeting with Albus Dumbledore and the Board of Governors to work on bringing this castle to the 21st century. By Halloween, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will be working on electricity supplied by Stark Industries. My company is working on gaining a foothold in the Wizarding World." He clicked another button. "Thanks to my years of working with Lily, I've been able to create a way for warding crystals to absorb and disperse electricity the same way as our power lines do. We're talking about creating a way for all students to feel equal."

Narcissa ran a hand through her hair. "My husband is on the Board of Governors, he'd never allow anything muggle to be used in our world."

Harry chuckled. "No offence, Mrs Malfoy, but you're husband has one vote. We've been working on this all week. Everyone else is on board." He sat down near her. "Imagine it, Narcissa...a new world with the latest technology and fashion industries. A place where Hogwarts is just the beginning. We're working opening up universities if we're lucky." He grinned.

Narcissa couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. Her son used to be the same way as a child, until Lucius began to work it into his head that the old ways were the _**only**_ way. "When will this firm be set up?"

Harry turned to Sirius. "Well?"

Sirius smirked. "Next week if you and Andi can come to an agreement." He poured three glasses of brandy and two of apple juice. "So what do you say?" He asked, handing her a glass of brandy.

Narcissa downed the glass with a satisfying sigh. "I'm in." She smiled widely.

Harry smiled. "Good. You'll be my main solicitor in the child abuse case against my relatives. You're going to be a busy woman, Narcissa."

 **-HS-**

After the law meeting the Starks and Harry made their way to Dumbledore's office to meet with the Board of Governors and Dumbledore. Harry was coming down from the adrenaline rush that had allowed him to function properly in the meeting.

Lily wrapped her arm around him, feeling his head rest on her side. She smiled at him, moving towards the office.

Tony was the first to walk in, smiling to the Board. "Hello everyone, my name is Anthony Stark, but please call me Tony. This is my wife, Lily Stark nee Evans and her son Harry. I'm here today to show you the future of Hogwarts." He tossed a tablet onto the table, pressing the button on his palm to activate the holo projection. "This, is an arc reactor. The ones that my company is powered by is able to project light and heat for a building twice as tall and about 1.5 times the width of this castle."

One board member frowned. "This small thing here?" She asked, gesturing to the device.

Tony shook his head. "The projection here is one hundredth the size of the one that powers my place of business." He expanded the projection. "By altering five parts of the machine I'm able to focus the energy of ambient magic to channel the power within the reactor." He removed his shirt, showing his personal reactor. "This one powers an electromagnet to keep metal shards from piercing my heart. It's been modified to work with the magic of this castle."

Augusta Longbottom raised an eyebrow. "Impressive." She said simply. "Technomancy isn't something we see a lot here in England, especially not from a muggle." She sipped her tea, glancing at the other members. "How much would this cost?"

Harry walked forward. "Nothing. The Black and Potter Families will be fronting the cost. It's going to be our way of showing off what our new corporation can do." He explained, feeling his hands shake slightly. He cleared his throat. "The plan is to use this investment to entice the population of magical England to see the benefits of modern technology." He took the slide button, changing the image to one of a large chamber. "Our plan is to turn the Chamber of Secrets into the control centre. I'll record myself using Parseltongue for the technicians to get up and down." He clicked again, showing a large slide. "We'll turn the pipe entrance into a muggle elevator in order to get to the Chamber with minimum effort."

An elderly man fixed his glasses, checking the papers. "How much will this cost your organisation?"

Harry gulped. This was it. "The cost of renovation and installation will be approximately 150,000 galleons for the whole thing."

The man spit out his tea. "That is more than the Minister of Magic makes in a decade!"

Harry nodded. "The wiring will take a month. The cost is mostly labour and material. The actual installation will cost around 1,500 to 2,000 galleons depending on the strength of the castle." He explained, clicking the last slide. "This is a rough estimate of what this very room will like when installation is complete." He expanded it, causing them to gasp. The room looked sleeker and more streamlined. The walls were silver, with screens like the tablet's one scattered around, each showing a theoretically part of the castle. The area where Dumbledore's desk sat now had several monitors and multiple new items. "As you can see, the room will have a security system in it to allow the Headmaster a full view of all corridors. The common rooms will have privacy, as will the bathrooms and shower rooms. The staff will be trained on how to work the new system." He took another breath. "The cost of training will be the only thing the Board of Governors will need to pay for." He placed sheets in front of all of them. "It'll only cost 500 galleons for the whole staff. Twenty percent of which may be refunded as a good will gesture."

Albus took one of the forms. "How long would the training take?"

Harry fixed his glasses. "A month. If you all agree then construction and training will begin tomorrow. The first two weeks will be nothing but the alterations to the Chamber of Secrets as well as the clean out. Gringotts has offered to buy the Basilisk carcass off me for a reasonable sum. I'll be splitting it between all the petrified victims."

Lucius Malfoy had listened patiently to all of the arguments that he had heard. "This is preposterous! We're talking about altering a major part of history. And replacing it with _**muggle**_ ideals. It's sickening."

A middle-aged woman fixed her glasses onto her face, scanning through the form. "It seems like Mr Potter and Mr Black know how to work on this. Every year this board gets thousands of complaints from parents and students about the lack of muggle technology and resources. Even the Muggle Studies professor has admitted that the material she's using is five decades out of date!" She sighed. "Personally this sounds like an excellent opportunity for Hogwarts. Does anyone else have any complaints?"

Harry watched as none of the other members spoke up. "Thank you." He said softly. "This is going to be the greatest undertaking in Hogwarts since the creation of the castle itself. We shall bring Hogwarts into the new millennium and make it the greatest school in the world."

 **A/N: I've been keeping the author's notes to a minimum for the last few chapters because I wanted to see how you guys reacted to the story in general. So there's a few things I want to address about the rules of the challenge.**

 **One of the main complaints I've had is that Lily is a bad mother. The challenge states that Lily** _ **HAD**_ **to think her son was dead. It was hard to work on a believable way for Lily to think her son had died. I stand by the way I chose to approach the subject.**

 **The second thing is Harry's mistrust of Lily and Tony. I'm trying to capture the real way someone would react to such news. As you can see the gap between them is starting to become bridged. Keep in mind that this story will hopefully be able to cover a lot of events.**

 **The final point I want to make is one about the Marvel Universe in general. Several non Cinematic Universe characters will appear in this story in different parts.**

 **Now that all of that is done and dusted, I'd like to thank you all for reading and all the reviews I've had so far. You guys have really made me feel better about myself in the last few years and I'd like to say I wouldn't be as happy as I am without this community.**


	9. Rachel Smith

**A/N: Ok, so I've never been one to put a trigger warning in a chapter before, but this chapter will deal with the physical and emotional abuse of a child and suicidal thoughts. If you're sensitive to such things, I apologise. This chapter should also end the MAJOR ANGST between Harry and Lily.**

 **Chapter Eight: Rachel Smith**

The students of Hogwarts were used to unusual events since Harry Potter had been sorted in '07. Teachers being Voldemort, Basilisk attacks and Dementors were something people got used to thanks to Harry, but this was strange to most the students. Two red and gold metal men were flying around the castle, blasting small holes in the walls to place odd coloured ropes into the building.

Harry watched from the courtyard with Hermione as the suits continued to work. "I can't believe he's using J.A.R.V.I.S to power the entire labour force."

Tony approached with Lily, sitting near them. "Well I have workers on the inside to ensure that the work is done properly. But using the suits for the heavy lifting is just normal." He chuckled, fixing his sunglasses on. "What's the skinny?"

Harry shrugged. "The muggleborn students are really excited about the new ideas. Most half-bloods are on the fence about it though, they tend to live magically." He explained, sipping a butterbeer.

Hermione grabbed a bottle, observing the suits closely. "I've never seen those models before."

Tony smirked. "Igor and Tank were created for construction purposes. They've little to no battle or manoeuvring capabilities, they're construction suits." He tapped his earpiece. "J, how's the Common Room coming along?"

"Marvellous sir. I believe it will be ready for tonight." Jarvis responded through the transceiver. "How goes installation of the reactor?"

Harry sighed. "I'll be taking the team down today since the elevator is finally installed. We're three days behind schedule, but we've still another nine to go before we've to unveil the new Hogwarts." He checked his watch. "Lunchtime's over people, time for the reactor crew to meet at the location."

Lily stood to her feet, linking her arm with his. "And I'm coming too. I've heard about the Basilisk and I want to see what a twelve year old boy could do against a XXXXX magical creature."

Harry sighed. "Damn rumour mill." He walked to the bathroom, holding the voice recorder close to him. 'Open!' He hissed. He handed the recorder to Tony. "Have everyone bring a copy of the recording to this room." He stood into the elevator. Lily, Tony, Hermione and the crew members followed suit.

Lily and Harry cleared the debris from the collapsed ceiling, making their way into the Chamber. She gasped loudly when she spotted the freshly preserved Basilisk carcass. "I-It's...how..?" She whispered to herself. "How did you survive?"

Tony wrapped his arms around Lily, trying to calm her nerves. The colour had drained from her face and he swore he could smell urine, though they were in the main pipe system. "How big is it?"

 _"Scans indicate that the beast is sixty foot from snout to tail and eleven foot in width. It weighs just under two metric tons and died of a stab wound to the brain."_ J.A.R.V.I.S responded.

Harry stood forward, keeping his nerves in check. "Work on the harvesting." He told half the crew. "When it's broken down fully, move the reactor into place. We have nine days people." He turned to his mother. "Tony, take mum upstairs and bring her to Madam Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing."

Tony nodded, walking out with Harry, Hermione and Lily. "He's alive, Lils." He assured her.

Lily placed her hand on Harry's shoulder. "You ever go near another class XXXXX magical creature again, and you'll be grounded until you're seventy!"

Harry chuckled weakly. "Duly noted." He whispered, rubbing the old scar tissue from the Basilisk bite. "And I don't plan on slaying anymore Basilisk or Dementors."

Lily frowned. "Dementors?!" She shouted loudly. "That's it. You and I will be having a large talk about this tonight."

Hermione smiled slightly, rubbing his hand. "If it's ok with you, Mrs Stark, I'd like to come along and fill in the gaps."

Lily nodded. "Of course. And Ron too...I want the full story." She whispered, walking towards the Hospital Wing with them. She sat down on one of the beds. "This reminds me so much of seventh year." She laughed weakly.

Madam Pomfrey raised an eyebrow as she heard the voice. "Ah, Lily." She walked out. "I remember that day, the scared girl asking for a pregnancy test." She chuckled. "What can I do for you?"

Lily sighed. "I just discovered the story about the Chamber of Secrets and the Basilisk were true. My husband and son think it could be a problem with my current pregnancy."

Harry kept a slight distance from them. "I hate hospitals..."

Tony smirked. "No one likes 'em." He gently massaged Lily's shoulders, trying to keep her stress levels down. "As for you, Lils, you're spending the rest of the day doing something relaxing."

Lily rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine." She said sternly.

Harry thought for a moment. "You know, the library has an entire new wing since you've been a student."

Lily smiled. "Is that so?" She asked curiously. "I could do with checking out the newest books on advanced charms." She said softly. "How about we have our talk in the library?"

Harry nodded. "Ok." He said softly. "But just you and I. No Mrs Weasley. No Hermione. This is just for you and I, mum. I'll tell you everything you want to know...for a price."

Lily frowned. "What's the price?"

Harry looked at her. "I want to know who she was. I saw the letter addressed to you from the Auror Corps. You know who she was." He clenched his fist. "I want to know who gave their life for mine..."

Lily nodded. "Ok. But I want to know everything."

"..." Harry stared at the wall behind her. "You'll regret saying that..."

 **-HS-**

Lily sat at one of the older tables in the library. Madam Prince had allowed them to speak privately in the area, since it only held basic information about old runes that hadn't been used for millennia. She tapped the table gently, staring into his eyes. "You first." She whispered softly.

Harry messed with an old quill, taking a small breath. "I can't remember a time before magic when I was happy." He chuckled bitterly. "My life was just hell. My first memory is the nightmare of a woman being hit by a blinding green light before waking up in tears. If I asked Petunia about it, I'd be beaten..." He ran his hand across his arm. "I've had bones broken for asking questions." He shook his head. "My life was nothing but pain and suffering."

Lily closed her eyes. "Surely your teachers knew something was wrong?" She asked sadly.

Harry laughed. "Are you joking?" He asked sarcastically. "Vernon had all the right people paid off!" He banged the table. "Teachers, nurses, police officers. There was _**no one**_ to help me." He growled out. "No one! I didn't have a billionaire and his butler to hold my hand whenever I cried!" He shouted.

Lily sighed. "Are you trying to get a rise out of me?" She asked. "I'm sorry for not coming back sooner...but I thought you were dead!"

Harry smirked. "Yeah, and you never went to visit my supposed grave." He pointed out. "And I've held my tongue about it long enough. You should have at least came to see your dead son. But you were too busy playing secretary for Tony fucking Stark and I hate him for that." He admitted. "I hate how he just dances over responsibilities and how he thinks me helping him with a suit will make us BFF's. I'm sick of having to accept things. My upcoming lordship. Cramming a decade of information into less than a year. I'm sick of feeling guilty for being who I am. And I'm sick of having to deal with everyone telling me how happy I should be!" He bit the inside of his cheek. "Ask what you want to ask..." He said blandly.

"Can you write down a list of people who Vernon paid off?" She asked.

He grabbed a piece of parchment, writing down a large list of names. "Two are dead, one's in a coma."

Lily scanned the document. Most of the names were only last names, but Harry had placed their title beside their name. "Was it ever sexual?"

He shook his head. "Vernon despises gays, he'd never lower himself down to that." He said simply. "I was beaten, kicked around and told I was trash for all my life. Isn't it enough to just know that?" He asked. "You think that talking about this will give either of us closure?" He laughed bitterly again. "You're trying to find a way for you and I to connect, but you're going the wrong way about it, mum. You need to think about the Harry in front of your eyes, not the boy who needed a mother."

Lily sighed, placing her hand on his cheek. "You're right." She whispered. "All I thought about was the past." She whispered. "What do you remember about your seventh birthday?" She asked curiously.

Harry thought for a moment. "That would've been '03, right? I spent it in hospital..." He whispered. "Laceration to my lung..." He smirked to himself. "Check the hospital records, it'll say I fell off a wall."

Lily frowned. "What really happened?"

"Cricket bat to the chest..." Harry closed his eyes.

Lily moved closer to him. "Do you hate me?" She asked softly.

"No." He answered truthfully. "I wanted to. But it's not your fault. It's nobody's fault really. Your ward scheme worked just as it was supposed to, it protected me from dark wizards." He whispered.

"But not from them." Lily said softly, wrapping her arm around him. "That was the first and only time I'd forgotten your birthday. Mr Jarvis' wife had died the previous day and we were working on the preparations..." She sighed. "I cried for a week after that..." She turned to him. "All because I had forgotten that day." She sniffled. "I hate myself." She whispered. "It's hard for me not to. I was too much of a coward to come home and deal with your death..."

Harry looked at her. "The worse memory I have is from 2004, I had made Petunia a card for mother's day...it was my teacher's idea. I gave it to her and asked a question...could I go and visit my mother's grave?" He sighed sadly. "I was basically told that nothing I could ever do would make Petunia love me like a son..." He chuckled bitterly. "You try and make me feel loved, but the sad fact is, I'm beyond love." He shook his head. "I'm broken. I'm defective. I'm not...I'm not worth the time." He ran his hand through his hair. "I'm broken." He repeated quietly, tears slipping down his cheek.

Lily pulled him close to her. "Never say that again." She whispered firmly. "You are not broken." She stared into his eyes. "You are Harry James Potter, my son. You are not broken." She gently played with his hair. "When I saw you that day, when it finally sunk in that you were alive, it made my heart soar with happiness." Harry sobbed softly, hiding his face away from her. "Fuck what that...absolute cunt told you." She said with conviction. "You're my son, Harry." She whispered gently, kissing his forehead. "You could become the next Dark Lord and you'd still be my son." She felt his body relax. "I love you, and nothing will ever stop that."

Harry looked up at her. "I'm sorry." He whispered sadly. "I'm not able to put aside the hatred I have for him." He said angrily. "I can't let the past go." He wiped his eyes. "I can't stop myself from blaming him."

Lily rubbed his hand gently. "Tell me about the Dursleys." She whispered.

Harry nodded. "Vernon always hated me. He blamed me on everything. If it rained, it was my fault. His paper was late, my fault. Cricket team lost, my fault." He closed his eyes. "Petunia liked to make me do everything around the house. House-elves aren't worked as hard as I was..." He chuckled bitterly, staring into nothing. "I'm never going to forget the past...I didn't get a childhood, mum...and it's not going to happen now." He sighed. "I envy regular people...I really do." He admitted. "I've always kept it to myself, my past. And this whole opening up thing, it's draining. I would love a fucking drink right now."

Lily frowned. "Alcohol is bad for you, Harry. It's not a viable option."

Harry's eyes closed. "True...but it numbs the pain." He whispered sadly. "It makes the screaming stop at night." His voice took on a hollow tone. "It makes the world seem less shit."

Lily frowned. "I shouldn't do this, but..." She took out a flask. "I keep Tony's flask of whiskey on me for emergency situations." She handed it to him. "Only this once." She warned him strictly.

Harry nodded, taking a gulp of whiskey. "He's a dickhead, but the man has good taste in two things."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "What's the two things?"

Harry chuckled weakly. "Women and alcohol."

Lily laughed lightly. "You remind me so much of your father at times it's crazy." She took the flask from him.

Harry smiled. "I like joking. People don't think I do, but I do." He rested his head on her shoulder. "Is it a boy or girl?"

Lily shrugged. "I don't know. I'm hoping for a girl." She admitted. "I'm outnumbered at home four to one most times." She teased. "I always wanted a girl." She said casually. "I always wanted to be like my mom...she used to make these amazing cookies." She smiled sadly. "When I married your dad, she gave me the recipe in a beautiful frame..." She felt a tear slip down her cheek. "I wonder if it's in the vault..?"

Harry watched her. "I'd love to have a kid." He admitted. "From a young age, I promised myself I was going to have a family. I was going to be everything they said I couldn't." He held her hand. "I'm not angry." He said softly. "I've said a lot of bad things to you, but, I am excited to be a brother."

Lily smiled. "Thank you." She kissed his hand. "That was my biggest fear...that you'd completely reject us..."

"My fear was being replaced." He said softly, staring at her stomach. "Being...forgotten."

She took his hand, placing it gently on her stomach. "Feel that, baby? That's your big brother." She said softly. "He's a silly git sometimes, but we love him anyway." She smiled at him.

Harry chuckled slightly. "I..." He closed his eyes. "When I was five, I tried to run away...I spent three days living in a park, hiding from people and eating from a bin..." He said slowly. "On the third day this lovely woman finds me and brings me to a police station. She was just being a good Samaritan, trying to help a scared child..." He took a shaky breath. "That was the worst beating of my life. It..." He took her hand, placing it up his back. "Feel that?"

She nodded, gently gliding her fingers over the knotted flesh. "What happened?"

Harry closed his eyes. "Vernon took his belt off and held me down...he held the metal part up and lashed my back until the flesh split..." He tried to steady his breathing. "I lost a lot of blood that night...I...I was going to die." He felt his throat tighten. "I was so scared..." He sniffled. "Why did they hate me..?"

Lily held him close to her, rocking him gently. "It's ok." She whispered. "They'll never hurt you again." She was glad that she erected privacy wards around them, she didn't want her son to be ridiculed by the others. "You don't have to say anymore."

Harry held onto her, sobbing like a child. Years of loneliness and isolation pouring out with his tears. "I...l." He looked up at her. "I tried to take my life..." He said softly.

Lily wiped his tears away, trying not to let her heart break. "When?"

He blinked away the final tears. "Just before my eleventh birthday." He said softly. "A month before it to be exact. I couldn't live with it anymore." He sniffled. "I snuck one of the steak knives out of the kitchen and went to the bathroom. I read how to do it...but I couldn't. Something stopped me." He closed his eyes. "I just wanted the pain to go away."

Lily wrapped her arms around him again, kissing his forehead. "I'm going to make sure that bitch's reputation is torn apart." She said, her voice firm with conviction. "You held up your end of the bargain, now it's my turn."

Harry stared at her. "Who was she..?" He felt his heartbeat slow. He had been dreading this moment.

Lily sighed. "Rachel Smith. She was your father's Auror partner along with Sirius..." She kept her arm around him. "She was also your godmother."

Harry frowned. "So he was cheating on you..."

Lily shook her head. "Rachel was a lesbian, Harry. If anything it would've been my pants she tried to get into." She sniffled. "Rachel was a good friend of mine and your dad's. She was so funny, energetic, loving...she adored you. Merlin, she basically kidnapped you for a whole month when James and I were in hiding."

Harry sighed. "Did she have any family?"

Lily blinked away some tears. "No. Her family disowned her when she came out of the closet." She took small breathes. "Rachel was the only woman who could calm you down besides me." She finally let the tears fall. "Nearly all my friends are gone, Harry. Alice, Selene, Marlene, Rachel, Frank...all gone." She whimpered. "All I have left is you, Tony, Jarvis, Sirius and Remus."

Harry sat there, thinking about the woman who gave her life for his. "I want to bury her." He whispered. "It's up to you whether she's buried with dad or in a fresh grave...but she family...and I...owe her."

Lily hugged him tightly. "You've such a kind heart." She kissed his forehead. "She's family. She deserves to be buried with family."

Harry sighed. "Do you want to know about the Hogwarts years now?"

Lily nodded. "Of course."

 **-HS-**

Tony wrapped his arms around Lily as they relaxed in bed. Jarvis had managed to transport the large camper he used to use as a kid whenever he felt the need for adventure. "Sounds more like a circus than a school."

Lily couldn't help but agree with his statement. Hogwarts had endangered her son's life on three occasions within the first three years of schooling. She sighed sadly. "James wasn't having an affair."

Tony froze. Although he'd never admit it out loud, the idea that he had failed Lily by not bringing her back to England had always plagued his mind. "Who was buried with him then..?"

Lily nestled into his embrace. "Rachel, a good friend of ours..." She sighed. "He died thinking I hated him. He died trying to protect our son. I'm a bitch."

Tony smirked. "Yeah, you are. But that's why James and I fell in love with you. Your bitchiness is your greatest attribute, Lils. You are never afraid to back down from a challenge, to be who you want to be." He kissed her gently. "You've always been a bitch, but I wouldn't have you any other way."

Lily kissed him back, raising an eyebrow. "I don't know whether to be insulted or grateful for that."

Tony chuckled. "Bit of both I suppose."

 **A/N2: I know this chapter is late, but I've had to amend my schedule to coincide with my new course. From now on chapters will be up on Sundays, or at the latest Monday. Hope you all liked this one.**


	10. 21st Century Hogwarts

**Chapter Nine: 21st Century Hogwarts**

Tony walked down the stairs towards the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. He whistled a tune as he took the service elevator to the generator area. "How we looking boys?"

One of the engineers sighed. "The wiring is a complete mess. Two of my guys are spending the day with their kids and one wants to speak to you about the Muggle Studies workshop."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Let's get back on track." He checked the arc reactor. "Those schools are coming today, we need to have the arrival area lit up!" He shouted to the team. "Times a wasting ladies." He grabbed the wrench from the toolbox, fixing the last piece into place. "How long until the wiring is fixed?"

"If your robotic workers can do it right this time, three hours." The engineer replied. "I've got specialised glass tube wiring. It'll add another 38.5% of power to the system. It's a little more fragile than the traditional wiring, but we'll house it in protective areas so the kids can't break it."

Tony nodded. "Tank, Igor, go and set up the new wiring." He called to the suits. "Now, fleshy workers, have the system up and running within the hour, we've a school to upgrade." He checked the time.

"Where's Mr Potter, sir?" One of the engineers asked.

"Funeral...Mrs Stark too." Tony replied.

 **Godric's Hollow - same time**

"We stand here, friends and family alike, to lay to rest Rachel Anastasia Smith. Rachel was beloved by her friends and by her adopted family. She was godmother to Harry Potter, her nephew who she, and I quote 'Kidnapped for a month'." The priest chuckled lightly. "Rachel was one of God's children, and as such I believe she had the right to be loved, like all God's children. I know this church despises homosexuality, but I believe that all love is God's love." He gestured to Lily. "I believe Mrs Stark would like to say a few words."

Lily walked towards the podium, taking a small breath. "I only knew Rachel for three years, but in that time she found herself close to my heart and a member of my family." She chuckled weakly. "I remember when she first entered my home...with my blood covered late husband and a bottle of firewhiskey in her arms." She wiped a tear from her cheek. "She apologised for ruining the carpet and poured me a glass of firewhiskey..." She sniffled. "Rachel gave her life for her family...and I owe her more than that...my son is alive because of the amazing woman in the coffin before us. I lost a lot of friends in the war...we all did...I lost a husband...who I believed was being unfaithful..." She stared at Harry and Sirius. "But the truth is he was planning an escape for us..." She sobbed softly. "Rachel...wherever you are, I'll always love you...you were a sister to me." She moved back to the remaining members of the old group, finding two arms wrapped around her. She smiled tearfully at Sirius and Remus.

Harry stood up. "C-Could I say something please..?"

The priest nodded. "You're Harry?"

Harry nodded. "I am. I don't remember Rachel, except for the sound of her screams whenever I had a nightmare..." He placed his hand on the coffin. "Thank you..." He whispered sadly, kissing her coffin. "And I'll never take the gift you've given me for granted...never again." He sniffled. It was strange, he didn't know this woman, yet all he felt was a large amount of pain. She had given her life for his. She had loved him the way an aunt was supposed to do.

Lily held Harry's hand, smiling sadly at him. "Come on, we'll put her to rest."

Harry walked out with her, staring at the graveyard in front of him. He'd never been to the final resting place of his father before, it seemed like a nice place to spend eternity. He stopped at the section that held the remains of his father. "Hi dad..." He whispered weakly, feeling tears spring to his eyes.

The rest of the day just went into a blur for Harry until they reached Hogwarts. He sat beside Hermione, resting his head on her shoulder. The day had been draining and he just wanted to relax. "So, what'd I miss?"

Hermione laughed at him. "Well Tank and Igor crashed into the bridge again. But the Great Hall is ready to be lit up soon. Mr Stark has been working on the wiring all day. I've been reading up on Technomancy and it's really interesting. Did you know there's a witch in Vermont who's working on magical movies?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

She nodded. "Apparently she's looking into setting up the magical world's first cinema. Mr Stark has been in contact with her about making a documentary about the Hogwarts upgrades."

Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes after hearing that, Tony did have a bit of an ego. "I think his head is big enough for now."

Hermione kissed his nose. "How are you?"

Harry shrugged, watching the lights on the ceiling. "I could really use some sleep and a large slice of treacle tart." He said in an offhanded manner.

Lily lodged that particular recipe into her head. Hopefully Jarvis knew how to make a good treacle tart. She sat at the Gryffindor table out of habit and enjoyed the fun atmosphere that the students provided. "Sorry dear, were you saying something?" She asked, noticing a student talking to her.

Angelina smiled at her. "I was wondering, what was Harry like as a baby?"

Harry groaned. "This is cruel and unusual punishment..."

Lily grinned, feeling a little mischievous. "Well, Harry was an extremely active baby. As soon as he could stand...he flew around on his own. Merlin help the poor cat, she had been battered and bruised whenever Harry managed to get a hold of her poor tail." Everyone chuckled at her. "Not that he hated her, he loved that cat. And I think she loved him too, when she wasn't cursing his name."

Harry felt like banging his head on the table. "Sweet angel of death, take me now." He sighed.

"I've a lot of baby pictures." Lily said, planting the final nail in his coffin.

"No!" Harry gulped. "We're fine without the baby pics."

Angelina smirked, moving closer to Lily. "Ignore him, Mrs Stark, we would be _**delighted**_ to see some baby pics of little Harry."

Harry glared at his teammate, ensuring he remembered to prank her for it. She may have been the best friend of the twins, but she was going down.

Lily took out an old photo album, opening it. Most of the pictures were rather boring ones of Harry with his parents and grandparents while others showed him on a baby broom, taking a bath and chasing the cat through a rather nice looking kitchen. Some had small stains which all of the older girls knew to be water stains from tears. It was obvious that Mrs Stark must've taken the album with her when she went to America. Hermione smiled at the little baby version of her boyfriend in the pictures, laughing when she spotted one of him covered in glitter and wearing a Quidditch kit.

Harry scanned through them, feeling a sharp pain in his stomach whenever he spotted his father or Rachel. It'd always been known to him that his father was dead, but it had been the first time for it to really sink in, his dad died trying to keep him safe. "I think I'm going to lie down. I don't start the liaison role until tomorrow." He made his way to the Common Room, heading straight towards his dorm room. The day had been tiring.

 **-HS-**

Hermione watched as Harry left, turning to Lily. "How was he?" She asked, keeping her face stoic.

Lily sighed. "It was the first time I've ever seen his mask slip when he was sober..." She whispered softly. "He's hurting. He spent most of the day just talking to Rachel and James about his schoolwork. I think it was his way of handling things."

Hermione nodded. "Tomorrow's going to be a good opportunity for him. Soon enough Harry's going to be Lord Potter, and I plan to help him when he gains his title. Harry, Sirius, you and your husband are going to change the Wizarding World for the better. I'm hoping to be a large part of Harry's plan for a new administration."

Lily smiled. "You and Harry remind me so much of James and I when we were teenagers. Don't get me wrong, we were sixteen when we started dating, but we often had long debates about Pureblood Supremacy and the idea of bringing Hogwarts into the twentieth century. We didn't get to fulfil our promise to one another, but you and Harry can not only succeed where we didn't, you can bring it to a whole new level of ingenuity and hope. You'll be part of the greatest generation of magicals since the Founders."

Hermione thought about what Lily had said. She and Harry could change the world. He had already matured slightly under Lily's soothing encouragement. She sipped her tea, messing with the saucer. "I've got to help him then." She whispered, smiling at Lily. "What's it like to be pregnant?"

Lily thought for a second. "Like having the munchies for nine months despite having nothing but constipation and vomiting." She chuckled. "Then someone decides to stick you in the bladder with a blunt object a hundred times a day." She noticed a few of the female students seemed worried. Time to really scare them. "Not to mention the constant aches on your feet. Your breasts swell, which hurts your back. And as for labour..." She shuddered. "Imagine shoving something the size of a melon through an opening that when fully dilated will only be as open as a lemon."

Half the female student body just stared at the woman as if she was cursed. A couple of the girls had been considering starting families once they left school, but none of them had considered the thought of what their bodies would have to endure.

"But it is worth it." Lily placed her hand on her stomach. "The feeling when you first hold that little bundle of love...there's nothing more exhilarating." She stared at the girls in front of her. "Does Hogwarts still offer maternity lessons?"

The girls shook their heads. A student from Slytherin stared at her. "It was ended when a baby died from an infection caused by subpar health conditions..."

Lily stared at the older crowd. "How many of you are currently under marriage contracts?" She asked softly.

Four girls raised their hands, hiding their faces.

"Speak to your Head of House tonight if you can. When my baby is born and settled, I'll start a private class for the four of you." She said softly. "If any other female finds themself in that position, feel free to come by."

The females all nodded. It seemed like Mrs Stark was going to be a huge help to the school.

 **-HS-**

Fleur Delacour was not a happy woman. The weather in England was simply dreadful. Her Headmistress had explained that Hogwarts would be the first school in the Magical European Union to run off of electricity. The young woman was looking forward to seeing what the school would look like when lit up.

She watched as two red suits flew by her head and fitted several boxes around the castle. "Is zis project not done?" She asked curiously.

Hermione looked at the girl. "We're just finishing up now. You're from Beauxbatons, aren't you?"

Fleur nodded. "I'm Fleur Elise Delacour." She bowed her head politely.

"Hermione Jane Granger." Hermione copied her movements. _"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."_ She smiled, showing off her French linguistic skills.

Fleur smiled widely. _"It's a pleasure. Does our liaison speak French too?"_

Hermione shook her head. "Harry's a Parselmouth, but that's about it."

Fleur sighed. "So I'll be stuck with zis silly accent?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you just use a translation spell?"

Fleur chuckled. "Zey only change ze language to my native tongue."

Hermione walked with her. "I see. Harry's an extremely patient man though. Your accent won't bother him in the slightest." She walked to the Great Hall, noticing the boy in question was standing anxiously. "Speak of the devil."

Harry waited until both schools were seated before he stood to the podium. "Hello. My name is Harry Potter and I'll be one of three people speaking to you about the new Hogwarts." He took a deep breath, staring at the switch in front of him. "Hogwarts is a school built on tradition, but it's also a symbol of changing times. When Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff and Salazar Slytherin founded this school, Muggleborn witches and wizards were hunted down by both muggle and magical alike. This great school became a safe haven for those students. Four people, all of whom were classed as fools in their day had defied all odds. Over the years more and more amazing things have happened to this hallowed institution of education." He paused for a drink of water before chuckling. "Merlin, I must sound like an arse to a lot of you. The truth is, this school has lost its way. A lot like Europe in general. We allowed ourselves to become stagnate and weak." He watched the students. "While we remained locked within the traditions and customs of the Victorian era, the Muggle World began to gain more and more innovations that completely changed their world. Here we sit, breaking bread together and working towards the ultimate goal; unity." He paused again, staring at the ceiling. "I love magic. I really do. I've been around it four years now, and it still fills me with amazement. Now, allow me to fill some of you with the same amazement our world has shown me." He flipped the switch, causing the room to light up with electricity for the first time in its history.

The students watched in awe and wonder as the room lit up completely. The noise of the different things starting up completely freaked some of the purebloods out. The noise began to soften as the room finally settled down.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 21st century." Harry's voice broke the amazement. He removed his wand from his throat, moving to the microphone. "All of the castle is now powered by a combination of magic and electricity." He explained. "There will be a two day intense course for anyone who wants to learn how to use all of the new technology within our school. Please contact Professor Burbage about it." He chuckled. "Any other inquiries can be answered by Mr Stark or Mrs Stark. With that, I'm going to turn this over to the person who installed all of this, Anthony Stark."

A loud applause came from the students as Tony came to the podium. "Well, I'm glad you're all happy about the new tech." He said softly, staring at Lily for help. "All I can say is, this is just the beginning. Hogwarts is our way of testing the waters. If anyone would like to have their home powered by such means, we will be taking orders after the New Year." He stopped for another applause. "Mrs Stark and I will be here until the end of the month so we will be happy to help you with anything you need. Please contact me after nine if it's an emergency since my wife is pregnant."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Ignore that remark. I'm only pregnant, not a blooming invalid."

Harry laughed slightly, wrapping his arm around Hermione's waist. He took a sip of coffee from his cup, smirking to himself as he checked the time on the large clock behind Tony. He'd planned something a little fun. He clicked the microphone hidden on his uniform, trying not to laugh. "Tank, Igor." He whispered into the mic.

Tony continued talking about the different processes that took place throughout the last three weeks. "The two suits you've seen flying around-"

The door flew open, revealing Tank and Igor with a large vat of water. The two flew towards Tony, drenching him from head to toe.

Harry's laughter burst through the shocked murmurs that broke out around the room. He stared at Tony, holding his stomach from the laughter.

Lily frowned at her son. It seemed Sirius had awoken the prankster within Harry. "Did you do that?"

He stopped laughing. "No ma'am."

Lily swore she could see James staring back at her, it was just uncanny how much Harry emulated his father's signature smirk. "You're in trouble." She said sternly.

Harry sighed. "Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?"

Lily laughed. "It went out the window with your father's and godfather's legacy."

He chuckled softly. "Fair enough. But it's not done yet..." He looked up at Tony. "Do you know that wet cotton balls will stick to anything on a cold night?"

Tony frowned over at his stepson. His eyes widened as Tank covered him in cotton balls and Igor released a blast of ice cold air. He stared at his cotton ball covered body with a larger frown. "Harry James Potter!"

Fred and George Weasley laughed at their young friend, it seemed that the Son of Prongs had finally come out of his shell. It was going to be an interesting year.

Dumbledore chuckled softly to himself as he watched the smile on Harry's face, the young man was certainly becoming happier thanks to Lily and Tony. "Five points from Gryffindor and a week of detentions with Mr Stark."

 **A/N: I'm sorry this chapter is so late. It just seemed to fight me tooth and nail word for word until I finally finished it. Also I've been extremely busy with the Centenary celebrations of 1916, the year my people fought for our freedom from English rule. I'll spare you the details but will recommend a movie called Michael Collins and another called the Wind That Shakes the Barley. Both will give amazing hindsight into the history of Ireland.**


	11. An Unexpected Visitor

**Chapter Ten: An Unexpected Visitor**

Harry turned a corner, showing the way to the grounds. "So, the grounds were famous for a couple of battles during the first century of the school's history. Godric Gryffindor famously fought against a group of Christian Muggleborn wizards who tried to burn Hogwarts to the ground."

Fleur frowned as she listened to him. "Ze Order of ze Cross." She said sadly. "Zey were sick individuals."

Harry nodded. He'd read up on some of the important things in the school's history before the schools came. "The Order of the Cross decided to purge magic from their lives. Some of the legends say that they magically severed their magical cores from their bodies." He gestured to a large stone structure. "This is the tomb of their leader, who was actually an apprentice of Godric himself." He turned to the guests. "Our guests from Durmstrang would know him as Alexander Maxanoff."

Several of the Durmstrang students moved closer to the stone. "This is his resting place?" One asked in perfect English.

Harry nodded. "Godric laid him to rest here as a sign of respect. He cared about his old student a lot more than he let on." He moved aside, allowing them to pay their respects to the legendary warrior.

Viktor Krum stared at Harry. "You studied all of this just to help us?"

Harry nodded slightly. "I didn't only do it for you. My girlfriend is a history nut and I thought it would be nice if I could hold a conversation with her about this stuff." He frowned. "I didn't know you were still a student."

Krum nodded. "I received my Quidditch contract at the age of sixteen. It's a three year deal with a chance for becoming Captain when I'm older."

Harry thought about that for a moment. "I'd love to play competitive Quidditch as a Pro Player, but I'm not that good. I'm a Seeker, but I've lost a match or two."

Krum chuckled darkly. "Take it from me, there's no joy in Professional Quidditch. I can't remember the last time I actually played for fun. Nowadays all I can do is just play professional games or annoying training sessions." He explained.

Harry frowned. "Tell you what, did you bring your broom with you?"

Krum nodded. "I need to fly all the time, keeps me fresh. Why?"

Harry smirked. "I can't help but wonder what it'd be like to play against a professional Seeker. We should schedule a friendly between Gryffindor and Durmstrang when we get a chance."

Krum laughed softly. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Potter." He slapped Harry's shoulder gently. "It'll be a hard match for your little team."

Harry bit the inside of his cheek. "Ok. I think that just became a challenge." He growled out slightly. "We'll definitely be having a match."

Krum chuckled again. "Organise a time and place for it and we'll play." He agreed, holding out his hand.

Harry shook his hand, walking to the next part of the tour. "This is the Forbidden Forest, it's been part of Hogwarts grounds since the early 12th century."

 **-HS-**

Tony sighed as he tried to remove the cotton balls from his favourite shirt for the fifth time. "I'm going to kill that little shit." He mumbled to himself, throwing it into the laundry basket again.

Jarvis smirked slightly as he took the shirt. "I'll have it cotton free in no time." He walked out of the room, making his way to the Gryffindor Common Room. The new design had worked out rather swimmingly in his opinion. The old wallpaper had been replaced with a lovely white wallpaper fitted with a red and gold border in order to fit in with the Gryffindor motif. Leather recliners and sofas were added to fit in with the modern designs.

He disapproved of the large television and variety of gaming consoles that Tony had purchased for the Common Rooms, it simply filled the children's head with nonsense. He approached Harry's bed, collecting his dirty clothes to wash. It seemed the students of Gryffindor House had appreciated the fact that Jarvis worked hard for their new Common Room.

He whistled as he worked, smiling at some of the students as he went about his day. The castle seemed to be inviting to him. He spotted Harry doing the tour for the visiting schools and smiled, the lad had really come out of his shell a lot since being taken under the butler's wing.

He placed the clothes into the washing machine, fixing the load into place. He made his way to Lily's room, smiling at her. "How are you today, Mrs Stark?"

Lily grinned at him. "Edwin Jarvis, why are you getting formal with me?" She chuckled softly, sitting up with no sense of grace.

Jarvis chuckled. "I was just thinking of the old days, working for Howard and Maria. Being busy every hour of the day and having an immense sense of purpose." He said softly, fixing a pillow behind her back. "How's that?"

Lily smiled. "That's perfect, Mr Jarvis." She whispered, yawning slightly. "I don't know what came over me this morning, but I just couldn't be bothered to get up."

Jarvis chuckled softly. "I believe it's just the boredom that comes with any form of leave. I was bored out of my wits when my dear Anna died. Those six months were just torture for me."

Lily sighed. "I suppose so. I've been so busy everyday since Tony hired me that I've never really had a vacation."

Jarvis nodded at that. "You should consider a nice weekend away then." He suggested, fixing a light knitted blanket over her legs.

Lily shook her head. "I can't travel magically or by plane since I'm in my third trimester. Not to mention a car trip would be bloody impossible with my bladder at the moment." She said softly, massaging her stomach gently. "How's Harry's tour going?"

Jarvis chuckled. "Mr Potter has been giving riveting tales about the history of the castle and showing them all the different spots."

Lily smiled, closing the book she was reading. "Could I trouble you for a cup of tea please, Mr Jarvis?"

Jarvis nodded. "You really need to act like I'm a butler, Lily."

Lily chuckled softly. "I grew up butler free, Jarvis. I'd love a cuppa when you've got time though."

Jarvis chuckled heartily as he left the room, shaking his head. Nearly fourteen years of working with Lily and he still couldn't understand her.

 **-HS-**

The weeks passed quickly once the foreign students came for the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Harry had spent a decent amount of time with all of the students, though Viktor and Fleur seemed to gravitate towards him. He didn't mind it though, they weren't interested in his fame or his wealth. Krum just spoke to him about Quidditch while Fleur had found a good friend in Hermione, who had a similar eye for Parisian fashion and culture.

It had quickly approached Halloween day and all of Harry's friends were extremely worried. It seemed like he wasn't going to the feast, which they could understand. The anniversary of his father and godmother's death had always been a hard day for him. Hermione had looked around for him all day, and eventually went towards the lake, seeing Harry skipping stones around the Black Lake. She stood back from him, watching him closely. He didn't seem to care about the bad weather, as he continued to skip stones.

He sat down on the grass eventually, turning to her. "You breath really loud." He chuckled weakly.

Hermione sat beside him, playing with the grass. "I've been looking for you for three bloody hours now." She chuckled back, trying to steady her breathing.

He played with some of the stones, tossing one into the lake. "I just wanted to relax before the Feast."

She reached for his hand, smiling softly at her boyfriend. "I didn't think you were going to go to the Feast." She whispered softly, staring into his eyes.

He shrugged. "It's Mum's last night in the castle and I promised her that I'd turn up for the Selection of the Champions." He explained, playing with her hand. "It'll be the last time I see her until Christmas."

Hermione frowned. "Oh yeah..." She moved closer to him. While he wouldn't admit it out loud, she knew that he was going to miss his mother. She could see the wall Harry placed around himself slowly breaking away thanks to Lily's help.

He sighed. "Shit happens. I know she's promising some of the older students a chance at a child minding course once she has the baby."

She nodded. "How about we head inside? It looks like it's about to pour down."

He stood up, helping her up before heading to the castle with her. He didn't talk as they walked, preferring to just listen to Hermione talk about her planned trip to Paris in the summer to go shopping with Fleur. He couldn't believe how much his beautiful Hermione knew about the fashion scene in Paris, though it seemed there was a lot he didn't know about her. "What's your favourite colour?" He blurted out randomly.

Hermione raised her eyebrow at his random question. "Periwinkle blue." She said softly. "What's yours?"

He smiled. "Jade green. What's your most hated food?"

She thought for a second. "Beets. Yours?"

"Fish." He wrapped his arm around her. "What's your favourite sweet?"

"Turkish Delight." She said immediately. "Rose flavour, not lemon." She clarified, smiling at him. The two continued to play the game, eventually walking into the Common Room.

Ron rolled his eyes as he saw the two snogging in the corner. He chuckled to himself as he pointed his wand at them. "Aquamenti!" He smirked, soaking them in water.

Hermione squealed as she water hit her. "Ronald Weasley!" She jumped up.

Harry was about to stop her, until he noticed that her skirt had slid down slightly. He wrapped his jacket around her waist, whispering into her ear.

Hermione turned beet red, sitting down as fast as she could. She pointed her wand at Ron, casting a quick spell at him.

Ron dodged it, laughing. "Come on, you know you can't keep snogging all the time!" He sat near them, casting the drying spell on both of them.

Harry shook his hair like a wet dog. He frowned at him. "I'm going to get you back for this later." He laughed softly.

Ron smirked slightly. "I'll kick your ass, Potter." He teased.

Harry walked over, slapping him with a glove. "Pistols at dawn!" He declared.

Ron laughed. "So be it good sir." He replied in a snobby tone.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh at the two idiots she loved to have near her. "Come on boys, no pistols."

Harry kissed her forehead. "You got it, babe."

Hermione smiled gently. After the 'Mione' incident she was worried about any nickname that Harry gave her. She wrapped her arms around him. "And thank you my brave sir, you defended my honour."

Harry smiled, holding onto her. He saw Ron trying not to frown and reluctantly let go of Hermione. He didn't want to fall out with Ron over a relationship. "When's the Feast start?"

Ron checked the time. "Another hour." He said, watching Dean and Seamus playing a game. "Football looks boring."

Dean frowned. "You're looking for a ass kicking there, Ron. Want to know the difference between Chudley Cannons and Manchester United?" He turned his head. "My team has actually won games." He smirked.

Harry laughed, holding onto his stomach. "Never insult a footie fan, Ron. They're batshit crazy."

Dean chuckled. "Coming from a fellow United supporter, I'll let that one go."

Harry moved closer. "I've got winner."

"Not a problem." Seamus said, cursing as he lost again. "He's hard to beat."

Harry took the controller. "Perfect. I've an hour to kill." He chuckled.

 **-HS-**

Hermione smiled at Harry as he sat with his mother and Tony. He seemed to be in a funk, though Lily was keeping him talking about random things and about his schoolwork. She didn't want to butt in on the conversation between them.

She watched him as he placed his fork down. He was tearing up. She'd never seen Harry cry openly about things before. He kept his pain bottled up, but it was apparent that he was feeling the pain today. "Harry?"

He smiled over at her, giving her a teary wink. "I'm fine, Mione." He whispered.

Hermione was about to say something about using a shortened version of her name, but it was obvious that he just wanted comfort. She kissed his cheek, allowing it to go this time. "Well it's nearly done now. They're announcing the champions now."

Harry wiped his eyes, nodding as he turned to the Goblet of Fire. "My money's on Cedric Diggory for Hogwarts Champion."

"Well only about ten students entered from Hogwarts." Lily pointed out. "Cedric is the frontrunner though."

Harry saw the lights dim, smiling to himself. The electricity grid had been a huge hit with the students and teachers. Even Snape seemed to enjoy the videos on potion making that Lily had commissioned. The fact that Horace Slughorn himself was the star made them entertaining to watch. He watched in fascination as the Goblet turned a shimmering array of colours and spat out the first piece of paper.

"The Champion for Beauxbatons is, Miss Fleur Delacour." Dumbledore announced.

The French students cheered loudly as the stunning Veela student made her way to the podium. The Goblet spat out the second paper once she closed the door.

"The Durmstrang Champion is, Viktor Krum!" Dumbledore called out.

Viktor stood with a hearty grin as he shook Dumbledore's hand, making his way into the same room as Fleur.

All the Hogwarts students waited with baited breath as the final piece of paper flew from the Goblet. "The Champion of Hogwarts is, Cedric Diggory!" Dumbledore smiled. He'd wagered a small sum of money against Filius that the charismatic Hufflepuff would be the Hogwarts Champion.

Cedric stood to thunderous applause from the students of Hogwarts, except most of the Slytherins as usual, who wouldn't lower themselves to such childish actions.

"And there we have it. The Champions have been chosen and shall be briefed on the first tas-" Dumbledore stared at the Goblet as it erupted violently with another scrap of paper. He caught it in his hand, his face paling as he spoke the name. "Harry Potter." He said weakly, staring at the young man.

Harry frowned, trying to stay in his seat. It couldn't be happening. He made sure to avoid the fucking Goblet as much as possible to ensure he couldn't get involved in the tournament. "I didn't...I didn't put my name in the Goblet!" He shouted, struggling to keep his breath steady.

Dumbledore observed the room. It seemed like many of the students didn't believe him. Harry had only began to come out of his shell and he could already see the boy trying to retreat back into himself. "Would you swear on your magic?" He asked politely.

Harry nodded, raising his wand. "I, Harry Potter, heir apparent of House Potter and House Black, do hereby swear on my magic that I did not put my name in the Goblet of Fire, nor did I ask another student to do it for me, so mote it be." He cast a quick Patronus to show he still had his magic. "All of you know me..." He said softly, his hand shaking as he spoke. "I don't want fame or glory...I just want to be normal. I refuse to compete."

Lily watched as Barty Crouch stood up and walked over to Dumbledore. "May I remind you Dumbledore that the Goblet forms a binding contract as soon as the name is expelled." He sighed. "I'm sorry Mr Potter, but if you do not compete, you will lose your magic."

Harry grit his teeth. "Fine...but I'm not the Hogwarts Champion." He said firmly. "To keep the competition fair, I am leaving Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry until the start of my fifth year." He tore the Gryffindor crest from his uniform, placing it on the table. "My mother brought a caravan here when she came. My godfather and uncle can oversee my education and most of all, the reputation of the schools can remain...fair..." He refused to look at any of his classmates. He removed his jumper and tie, placing his school cloak on top of them. "I hope that the schools have no objection to this..?"

Dumbledore turned to the two other heads of school and began discussing the idea. "We find it acceptable, Mr Potter. May I ask the name of your educational institution?"

Harry smirked to himself. "Prongs Academy of Magic and Prankery." He said cheekily. He turned around, watching Ron and Hermione. Both seemed to be smiling, though he could see a pained expression on both of their faces. "We've two openings, if you can spare Mr Weasley and Miss Granger." He added.

Dumbledore chuckled heartily. "I'm sure we can spare the two to a foreign exchange program. After all, your institution is classed as American."

Harry smiled at the Headmaster. "Thank you, Professor Dumbledore."

Lily frowned, standing up. "This is ridiculous! My son is fourteen years old, he is not fucking competing in this tournament!" She shouted, tears falling down her cheeks as she turned to the staff table. "Harry is nowhere near as skilled in N.E.W.T level spells as the other three are."

Barty sighed. "I'm sorry, Mrs Stark, but the rules on this matter are clear...if Harry doesn't compete, he will lose his magic."

Lily gripped her stomach in pain as her breathing hitched. "Oh shit...not now..." She felt fluids flowing down her thighs.

Tony's eyes widened. "Oh crap. The baby's coming." He took a deep breath. "We need a doctor!"

Madam Pomfrey walked over to them as fast as possible. "How far along is she?"

Harry jumped over the table. "She's not due until next month! She's four weeks early..." He said sadly. "She couldn't be having the baby yet..."

Madam Pomfrey turned to him. "Don't you worry about your mother, Mr Potter. Thirty years of working here I've not lost one bloody baby." She transfigured one of the benches into a stretcher. "Lily, lay down and we'll get you to the Hospital Wing." She said gently. "Mr Stark, Mr Potter, you'd better come along too."

 **-HS-**

Harry paced back and forth between the entrance to the Hospital Wing and the stairs, gripping his hair. "This is all my fault..." He said, trying to control his breathing.

Jarvis watched him closely, sighing softly. "That's not true, Harry. How could this possibly have been your fault?"

Harry frowned. "I should have refused to compete."

"You would have lost your magic." Jarvis reminded him.

Harry clenched his fist. "Fuck my magic!" He shouted. "My magic isn't worth my mother and her baby potentially dying!" He rubbed his eyes. "I only got her back...this isn't fair."

Jarvis sat the boy down, placing his arm around him. "Now listen here. Your mother is a strong woman. I've watched her for years as she tried to adapt to life without you. She is not going to die." He said with conviction. "Neither is your brother or sister." He promised him.

Harry chuckled bitterly. "My past dictates differently." He closed his eyes. He wasn't a religious person, in fact the idea of any deity seemed bullshit to him, but he still said a prayer, hoping that his mother and sibling would be fine. _'Please dad...please help her.'_

Tony walked out of the room, wiping his forehead as he made his way over to Harry and Jarvis. He knelt down to Harry, smiling softly. "Your mom's fine, kid. And you've a semi-healthy baby sister."

"Semi-healthy?" He asked curiously.

"Her lungs are a little under formed, but Madam Pomfrey told me that she's preparing a potion that'll help her lungs develop. Until then, she's in an incubator." Tony looked to Jarvis. "She picked a name. Maria. Maria Daisy Stark."

Jarvis smiled widely. "I never thought I'd see the day when you become a father." He chuckled. "Your father would be proud of this day."

Tony scoffed. "He'd be finished the bottle of scotch by now." He smirked slightly. "Come on kid, Lils wants a picture."

Harry nodded, walking into the Hospital Wing. He spotted the small incubator before anything else. His mother was cooing to the glass, her eyes drooping slightly. He stopped at the bed, trying to think of something to say.

She turned to him, smiling. "Come here, sweetheart." She took his hand, sitting him beside her. "Meet your brother, Maria." She said softly, placing his hand on the glass.

Harry's breath caught in his throat as he took in the sight of the new born baby. She had little tufts of red hair, with her eyes closed he couldn't tell the colour, but he knew baby eyes were blue at first. "Hi Maria. I guess I'm your big brother...you sure picked a dramatic entrance. I guess you're too much like your dad." He whispered, feeling a tear come to his eye.

Lily smiled, moving closer to the incubator with him and Tony for a photograph. She kissed the men in her life goodnight, returning to the bed for a long needed rest. She couldn't believe the day she had. One thought flooded her mind, would her son live or die?


	12. Project G

**Chapter Eleven: Project 'G'**

 _My life was never easy...I accepted that a long time ago. I got over it when I was a kid though. Life had to be discouraging in order for you to find the good in life. One of the best people to ever enter my life was you. I know that you'd probably prefer to hear this said to you in person, but I think this is the best way for me to explain how I feel._

 _Before you came into my life I didn't understand what people meant when they said a person could brighten your day more than anything else in life. Now, now I understand._

 _When I first came to Hogwarts I was just a scared kid who was afraid it'd be like Surrey all over again. Privet Drive was never a home to me, though I feel like Hogwarts, the Penthouse and Tony's house in L.A. are just as futile to consider a home. You and Ron embraced me in friendship, and that feeling in my heart is what I consider to be my home._

 _You are the light in my life, Hermione. I know you hate being called Mione, but to me that's just my special name for you. I want to thank you and Ron for joining this 'school' with me. If you need to find me, I'm in the main lab._

 _Yours forever,_

 _Harry James Potter_

Hermione smiled as she re-read the note for the third time since she woke up. Her heart soared as she read what Harry thought about her. She dressed in her casual clothes. Apparently Mr Stark was getting uniforms made for the three of them. She chuckled at the enthusiasm the man had for the idea of having his own school. She walked to the lab, seeing Harry tinker with several different gadgets. "What are you doing?"

Harry smiled. "Tony gave me full access to the lab as long as he can incorporate anything he finds useful into the Iron Man project." He picked up a small pistol, handing it to her. "Shoot me."

Hermione frowned. "Have you been drinking?!"

Harry shook his head. "Just trust me."

Hermione handed the gun over to him. "You're insane."

Harry sighed. "It's filled with a potion that renders the victim unconscious for a minute. It'll also cover them in fake blood. Good for whenever you need fake your death."

Hermione took it in her hands again. "How long have you been down here?"

Harry checked the computer. "Fifty hours." He said, chuckling.

Hermione rubbed her forehead. "You need to sleep. Have you even seen Maria today?"

Harry shook his head, downing another cup of coffee. "I've been working." He opened a large drawer. "Experimental high voltage energy blasts. It's got a five foot radius and can down Fluffy."

"I thought Fluffy was sent back to Greece?" Hermione took one of the discs in her free hand. "Harry this is military grade stuff. You made all this?"

Harry shook his head. "The potion is my design. The gun is owned by Stark Industries, as does the discs. I'm tweaking the internals to work with magic." He ran a hand through his hair.

Hermione sighed. "J.A.R.V.I.S, is there a bed in the lab?"

 _"No ma'am. But Mr Potter's day is empty. I'll inform Mrs Stark that he is expected to rise late this afternoon."_

Hermione smiled. "Thank you." She dragged him out of the lab, bringing him to his room. "Sleep." She said sternly.

Harry chuckled. "Merlin help when you become a mother." He closed his eyes, relaxing against the pillow.

Hermione fixed the covers over him. "Trying to tie me down already Potter?" She teased, kissing his cheek. She made her way to the Hospital Wing, checking in on the little baby. "How's Maria?"

Lily glanced over at Hermione, smiling. "She's doing well. Madam Pomfrey is going to give her the potion tonight." She sat on the bed, staring in at the little baby. "Harry spent fifty hours in the lab?" She asked curiously.

Hermione frowned. "Do you use J.A.R.V.I.S to spy on Harry?"

Lily shook her head. "No. But he does tell me when he thinks that Harry needs to rest." She explained, folding the baby grows. "He's starting to retreat into himself again..."

Hermione sighed. "He's warming up to you a lot more now, Mrs Stark. He just needs to move past this and you'll be stronger than ever."

Lily laughed softly. "I'm being reassured about a Potter by a fourteen year old girl. All you need is bleached blonde hair and fake nails and you'd be a dead ringer for Marlene."

Hermione thought about the name. "Sirius dated her, didn't he?"

Lily smirked. "They had a more...intimate relationship than that."

Hermione stared at her. "So they were just bed buddies?"

Lily nodded, chuckling to herself. "Yeah. Marlene and Sirius were the bane of many professors during their Hogwarts years. They both matured early and found themselves...having too much fun." She smiled. "The best thing ever had to have been when McGonagall caught the two of them, butt naked, going at it in the Great Hall at midnight."

Hermione laughed softly as she thought about the stern professor finding the two. She watched Maria closely. "It must be awful not being able to hold her."

Lily shrugged. "As long as she's healthy when I do hold her, I'll be ok with that." She smiled, fixing her hair. "So what's Harry working on?"

"Anything he can I suppose." Hermione replied honestly. "He's scared. I can see it in his eyes, Mrs Stark. He's trying to act like he's not letting it get to him, but he's freaking the hell out."

Lily frowned. "I'm going to have to speak to him when he wakes up. The first task is in nineteen days." She ran her hand through her hair.

Hermione smiled. "You have the same habit as Harry."

Lily smiled softly. "I suppose I do. James used to love playing with my hair." She whispered longingly. "It's weird, knowing that he truly loved me. It also makes it harder for me to forgive myself. It was my insecurities that cost James and Rachel their lives." She turned to Maria. "But I'm going to make sure I make up for those insecurities and fight to ensure my son survives."

Hermione smiled at her. "And I'm going to help you."

"In that case, enough with the Mrs Stark shite. Call me Lily." She chuckled.

 **-HS-**

Nicolas Fury was not a man known for his sense of humour. He was currently working on an old project designed by a reclusive wizard from Columbia. Not many non-magicals knew about the Wizarding World, but S.H.I.E.L.D wasn't run by idiots. He knew that the Statutes of Secrecy were in place to ensure that the barrier between magical and muggle continued to exist. He frowned as he read the report beside him for the second time. "You're sure about this, Romanoff?" He asked sternly.

She nodded. "Her blood is magical. Pepper Potts is really Lily Evans nee Potter." She frowned. "Apparently her and Stark are in England right now. They're married now, Fury. Legally, we can have him work it out."

Nick stared at the components in front of him. "I don't want Stark near this." He chuckled. "Harry Potter is Tony Stark's stepson...this could be big." He turned to Romanoff. "You're going to shadow Stark for a few months. Tell him that we'd like to talk to him about his stepson."

Natasha nodded. "Will I be placed back as an aid?"

"No. You're going to be Potter's bodyguard." He took up the file. "Project G is finally going to be reinstated."

 **-HS-**

Harry woke up at the sound of the alarm clock. The few hours sleep had helped to rest his mind. He stretched his arms, heading towards the Hospital Wing. As he opened the door, he noticed a woman standing near the bed. She had blood red hair and a slim figure. He could feel himself blush slightly as he stared at her. He cleared his throat, staring at his mother.

Lily smiled, though he could see that it was strained. "Harry, meet Agent Romanoff...she's from S.H.I.E.L.D and well, she's apparently going to be your bodyguard."

Harry frowned. He'd read Tony's field reports on S.H.I.E.L.D and how they worked. "So, you're the one they called Black Widow?"

Natasha stared at the young man in front of her. "Agent Romanoff will do." She tapped a tablet. "We've been watching you for years Harry, keeping tabs on you."

Harry stared at her. "I don't want a babysitter."

Natasha crossed her arms. "Well you don't get a choice in the matter, little boy." She said sternly. "S.H.I.E.L.D has a vested interest in the Magical World." She glared at him. "You've to be in the lab in ten minutes."

Harry frowned. "I came here to see my mother and sister." He said coldly.

Natasha pulled out a gun. "This is a high powered taser gun. You're going to the lab, one way or another."

Lily frowned at her. "You attempt to harm my son, and they'll be cleaning pieces of skull from the fucking walls!" She growled, jabbing her wand into the back of her neck. "All it takes is one word."

Natasha placed her gun back into its holster. "I don't want to hurt you, Mrs Stark."

Lily smiled sweetly. "If you ever point a weapon at either of my kids again, Fury will need DNA specialists in order to identify the small pool of goo that'll remain." She removed her wand, looking at Harry. "We'll be here when you come back." She promised. "Tony said Director Fury wanted to speak with you about some apparently magic tech." She gave him a hug. "It's just as painful to be kicked in the crotch for a woman." She whispered softly. "If she pulls that again, kick as hard as you can."

Harry stared at his mother in shock before following Romanoff to the lab. He stared at the man beside Tony. "So you're Nick Fury?" He asked curiously. "You're a lot shorter than I expected."

Fury turned around, smirking at him. "Most people think I'm the size of a tank." He made his way over to Harry. "Did Agent Romanoff give you any trouble?"

Harry frowned. "I'd keep your little attack dog on a shorter lease if I was you." He said coldly. He didn't like the idea of S.H.I.E.L.D knowing anything about him.

Natasha cocked the hammer of the gun. "What did you call me?"

Harry remained calm. "Natasha Romanoff, birth name and date unknown. At age two you were taken by the Soviet Union into their Black Widow program. Your training ended in '93 at the tender age of seventeen. You made your mark by killing Agent Alexander Farthing. In '99 you were approached by Agent Clinton 'Clint' Barton, alias Hawkeye." He turned to her. "Since working for S.H.I.E.L.D you've earned the title of Fury's number one. Did I miss anything?"

Natasha took her finger off the trigger, placing the gun on her belt. "That's classified information."

Harry smirked. "Well, you shouldn't use Stark Industries tech to encrypt your files in future." He turned to Fury. "This is about Project G, isn't it?" He asked.

Fury laughed lightly. "I like this kid!" He grinned. "Yeah. Project G is one of the biggest enigmas I've ever seen in my life. We're not actually allowed to open the damn thing."

Harry walked to the box on the table. "Then why do you need my help?" He asked curiously.

Fury sighed, rubbing his forehead. "S.H.I.E.L.D has known about the Magical World since the early stages of its founding. We've worked with the I.C.W since day one of our establishment." He motioned his hand to the box. "The rules were simple...we can't employ magicals unless they're related to employees, or legacy members."

Harry sighed. "I'm available because my stepfather is the son of one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D, right?"

Fury nodded. "Your mother isn't as skilled in Technomancy as you are. Tony here has been filling us in on the situation."

Harry frowned at Tony. "I see. Has he explained my current situation?"

Fury nodded again. "We're offering a deal. You finish Project G, and we'll allow you to use it for the duration of the Tri-Wizard Tournament."

Harry opened the box, grabbing some blueprints. "It's complicated. There's a rune array, storage crystals, focusing crystals and warding crystals." He ran a hand through his hair. "My girlfriend has a good knowledge of runes. I can tweak the rest to work. But I have one more condition."

"Name it." Fury shrugged.

"She's not allowed any weapons!" Harry said sternly.

Fury nodded. "You got it, kid. First Task is in nineteen days. Good luck." He tapped a button, vanishing from view.

"That was a really good hologram." Harry commented.

 **-HS-**

Harry placed the first of the blueprints on to his workstation, finishing his fifth cup of coffee. "J, beginning recording audio."

 _"Ready when you are."_

"November 3rd, Director Fury has placed me in charge of an old project from the early sixties known to S.H.I.E.L.D only as Project G. The wizard who created the schematics seemed to be attempting warding, blood and runic magic within one vessel. Hermione has politely declined to help me with this, saying that she'd prefer to stay under S.H.I.E.L.D's radar, which is understandable." He paused to check the blueprints. "The basic design seems to require metallic, organic and magical properties in order to work. If what this man's research notes say is true, this gauntlet as he calls it, could be an impressive aid." He glanced at the clock. "J.A.R.V.I.S, I want you to encrypt these recordings with the highest level of security you have. Set a password only I can say."

 _"It has been done sir."_

Harry smiled. "Thanks J.A.R.V.I.S." He said softly. He made his way to the materials left in the box. "Resume recording. The contents of the box held five small crystals, each embedded with immense energy, one focusing crystal and a vial of what I imagine was once the man's blood." He grabbed another blueprint, placing it beside the other one. "In theory, the gauntlet will form the rune on the back of the hand, causing a charge of magic from the appropriate crystal to channel its power to the focusing crystal located in the palm of the hand." He scanned the blueprints with the system. "J.A.R.V.I.S, give me some 3D views of the blueprints."

 _"Processing now."_

Harry poured himself another cup of coffee as he examined the design. "Load one of the suit's arms." He watched one of the gauntlets from the Mark VI appear. "J.A.R.V.I.S, how long would it take you to fabricate all the equipment needed to make a gauntlet?"

 _"Eight hours and fifty minutes."_

"Do it. Make it for my right arm and leave out all the unnecessary circuitry. Carve five small holes for the knuckles, one medium one on the palm and a large dial one for the back of the hand." Harry smirked. "Paint it with subtle colours. I'm thinking ash gray and jet black."

 _"Of course, sir."_

"Lock the lab and place it under serious protections. Even Tony's not allowed in while you're working on the gauntlet." Harry finished his coffee. "We're going to need a lot of coffee to do this." He checked the crystals. Each one was glowing with a different kind of magic. He reached into the box, pulling out some research notes.

 _To whom it may concern,_

 _When I was a boy, a mysterious visitor came to my village. This Visitor told me about a legend from his land. A man who held a powerful gauntlet which contained six stones. I did not believe such power could be created, but in the years since then I have begun to work on my own version of this gauntlet. I have written my notes in English, as the Columbian Ministry of Magic has deemed my work illegal._

 _The theory behind this magic is one of power. My blood shall mix with the focusing crystal so only I may use the gauntlet's power. The five smaller crystals shall be placed where my knuckles and thumb rest, which will charge the magical energy of the runes._

 _Unfortunately this will limit the ability of casting to only five spells. I have chosen five that will protect me from a variety of threats._

 _The blue crystal contains the energy of the Aquamenti charm._

 _The red crystal holds the power of Incendio._

 _The green is a spell of my own invention. It allows the earth around me to form a protective shell._

 _The yellow is pure lightning, not the easiest spell to master._

 _The black one is one I pray never to need. It contains an ancient spell known as the Legion. If I ever use it, it'll create a shadow copy of my person._

 _The clear crystal is the reverse of that. In essence it is the embodiment of the Patronus charm. My memories still need to be happy in order to harness it._

 _If you're reading this journal, it means that I was executed for my project. Please, continue my work. I left no widow behind, nor children without a father. All I left was this blasted gauntlet._

 _Pablo._

Harry frowned as he read the letter. "We need to finish this. J.A.R.V.I.S, get to work." He sat down, opening the research notes.

 **-HS-**

Hermione knocked on the door, hearing the intercom buzz. "Harry it's me. You've been working in here for hours." She heard the door open slowly. Once she entered she saw him asleep at the table, snoring loudly. "Harry!"

Harry jumped up from his spot. "I'm awake."

Hermione frowned. "How long have you been working on this bloody thing?"

Harry yawned, checking the clock. "Ten hours." He muttered, pouring a cup of coffee. "The gauntlet's power is charging. I had to bloody wire it manually." He kissed her cheek, smiling. "J.A.R.V.I.S and I have been working on the paint job since seven in the morning." He tapped a button, revealing the gauntlet.

The system was obviously designed to be worn from the shoulder to the arm, though she could notice that the upper part was able to retract into the main part of the gauntlet. She licked her lip a little, grinning at the invention in front of her. "Show me how it works."

Harry took a deep breath. "We're actually about to do a proper field test with it. I've to contact Fury though..."

Hermione frowned. "Be careful." She whispered. Like Harry, Hermione didn't fully trust Director Fury or S.H.I.E.L.D completely. Any organisation that hoarded knowledge for themselves wasn't one she wanted to be associated with.

Harry nodded, kissing her nose playfully. "I'm always careful. J.A.R.V.I.S, activate the gauntlet's locks."

 _"Password?"_

Harry sighed. "Mione." He said softly.

Hermione blushed slightly when she heard the password, smiling to herself.

Harry locked his arm into place, feeling the metal seal around his flesh. "J.A.R.V.I.S, how's the system on your end?"

 _"Systems are online, Mr Potter."_

Harry closed his hand into a fist, smiling to himself. "Hydraulics are good. Time to give this baby a good field test. Where's Director Fury and Tony?"

 _"At the southeast corner of the grounds, sir."_

Harry nodded, kissing Hermione once more before going to the rendezvous point. "Well, what'd you think?"

Tony crossed his arms, clicking his tongue as he examined the gauntlet. "Why did you design it to go to the shoulder?"

Harry smirked. "Well, the designs Pablo left behind were spotty at best. I took the liberty of tweaking them with some of our ideas for the suits." He chuckled, staring at the Mark VI. "Time for a test?"

Tony smirked, suiting up. "In a manner of speaking. I'm going to use the forest as my cover. Your job is to shoot me out of the sky." He flew around a little. "Lils and I modified the repulsors to fire mild stinging hexes. I've been instructed to kick your ass in order to ensure a proper training session."

Harry took a deep breath. "Ok, but I get the use of J.A.R.V.I.S, you fly solo."

"Agreed." Tony flew above the forest, using the foliage for cover.

Harry raised his hand. "Aquamenti!" He shouted. The runic array on the back of his hand began to rotate its different discs until it formed the runes of water, pressure and control. A large blast of water appeared from the focusing crystal, moving most of the foliage away. "Gotcha!" He grinned, sprinting forward. One of the main problems with the gauntlet was the ability to alter the way to focus the magic. He wracked his brain around it until he made one big change to it. "Aquamenti, Incendio!" The two spells began to combine their runes. The runes mixed together, causing an explosion of steam. He was pushed back, screaming in pain as his skin began to blister and swell. "Eject the gauntlet." He shouted. The gauntlet landed beside him.

Tony flew over, grabbing him. "We gotta get you to Madam Pomfrey." He said sternly. Tank flew behind him, holding the gauntlet in its arm.

 **A/N: Starting next chapter I want to start a Q &A session at the end of every chapter. So please leave any questions you have about the story in the reviews. I would love to know what you guys think and your curiosities about the story.**


	13. The First Task

**Chapter Twelve: The First Task**

Harry awoke in the Hospital Wing, his body crying out in pain. His vision was blurred and he couldn't feel his arm. "Anybody here?" He called out weakly, wincing in pain once he did.

Lily moved towards him quickly. "Oh thank Merlin you're awake." She whispered softly, placing his glasses on. "How could you be so reckless?" She asked, her voice cracking. "You can't mix spells together when you're using the same rune array." She gently stroked his forehead, hearing him wince. "Madam Pomfrey is working on your burns. It'll take her a couple of days to heal you completely. Your nerves will take a week."

Harry sighed. "Great." He muttered sarcastically. "A week in the care of Nurse Ratchet."

Lily repressed a giggle from her lips, helping him sip some water. "Well it would be two, but the First Task is in eighteen days." She pointed out.

Harry groaned. "Great. So I can make a complete arse of myself in front of three schools." He sighed. "Where's Maria?" He asked.

"Beside you." She whispered, helping him sit up.

He noticed that the burns on his arm were uncovered, though by the look of them infection was possible if the blisters were torn open. He stared at the baby, who was now in a regular cot. "I can't even hold her..."

"Well let that be your punishment for testing the gauntlet without help from someone magical!" Lily said sternly.

Harry watched her carefully. She was upset. Was this the feeling of parental concern that he had always yearned for? Sure, the anger was evident in her eyes, but he could see the underlying sadness and worry. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tested it without you there. I was impulsive and it caused me and you a lot of pain." He said softly.

Lily felt her heart tighten. He was letting her in again. She kissed his forehead gently, propping a pillow behind him. "You've third degree burns on your left arm. Second degree burns to your torso and slight scorching on your face." She whispered. "Worst case scenario, you may have a little burn scar on your chest."

He nodded, closing his eyes. "Will I have full use of my hand?" He asked. It felt weird not being able to move or feel his arm.

Lily smiled. "Of course. Jarvis told me that he's made you a treacle tart." She moved his fringe from his eyes.

Harry grinned. "That sounds heavily right about now." He closed his eyes for a moment. "Is the Gauntlet ok?" He asked curiously.

"The crystals are fine, but the metal melted slightly." Tony said from his other side. He had been keeping quiet. "I had J.A.R.V.I.S prepare another Gauntlet for you to wire and set up." Unlike other times Harry had been around Tony, he could hear some worry in his voice.

"Thanks." He said sincerely. "But I'm going to need more than just a left arm. I'm fabricating an entire suit. Unlike the Iron Man suits, mine are just going to be armoured. No repulsors. No unibeam." He took another small sip of water. "And a cooler faceplate."

Tony chuckled weakly. "Any chance I can give you a hand?"

Harry stared at him for a moment. "Sure. If this experience has thought me anything, I need serious help." He chuckled weakly. "I've some knowledge of technology, but I was arrogant in thinking I could do it alone."

Lily fixed the blanket over him gently. "You're a teenager. Arrogance and a swelled head are in the job description." She said affectionately. She kissed his forehead, gently stroking his cheek.

Harry closed his eyes to the world, choosing instead to just laugh. "I suppose the Potter genes are just starting to show now." He chuckled softly, feeling his eyes gently close. "I'm sorry for being so difficult..." He mumbled softly. "I love you..." He said lowly, falling into a healing sleep.

Lily smiled widely. "I love you too, sweetheart. With all my heart."

Tony kissed her forehead. "I'll get you a nice cup of decaf and some donuts."

Lily nodded, kissing him softly. "Sounds heavenly." She sat back down, playing with Maria's fingers.

 **-HS-**

The week in the Hospital Wing had been pure hell for the young wizard, between the hours of work to keep his arm working and trying to perfect the new suit design he had been a total wreck. He sipped his coffee, a drink he found himself becoming quite dependent on in order to work. "Ok then, rise and shine, J.A.R.V.I.S. I need the rules for the first task."

 _"The only rule Mrs Stark informed me of, is that you're not allowed anything except your uniform and wand. You will have an unlimited amount of time to complete the task."_

Harry frowned. "What is the actual task?"

 _"Unknown. Something to, and I quote 'Test your courage', sir."_

He finished his coffee, turning to the computer terminal. "ETA for those parts?"

 _"Four hours, fifteen minutes."_

Harry nodded, sitting down. "Perfect. How's Mum and Maria?"

 _"Mrs Stark's blood and iron levels are adequate for a woman who recently gave birth. Miss Stark's lungs are working at max efficiency. You should really spend time with them."_

"First Task is less than two weeks away, J. I need to work on the suit."

 _"You're not allowed the suit in the Task, sir. I'd recommend a proper strategy in order to tackle this problem."_

Harry smirked. "Did you digitized the library?"

 _"Two and a half weeks ago, sir."_

Harry flicked his tongue between his left and right lower molars. "Bring up the Accio spell. Standard Book of Spells, Year Four."

 _"Accio. Spell used to summon objects from a great distance. Maximum known range: 2.6km."_

Harry knew that the stadium was close to the school. "Measure the distance from here to the stadium."

 _"1.89km."_

Harry frowned. "How much practice would it take for me to achieve a distance of 2km?"

 _"Unknown sir. Like all magic, it comes down to the will and strength of the caster."_

Harry poured himself a glass of water, thinking for a few minutes. "Begin the fabrication of all possible pieces. Once the package arrives, finish it. I'm going to be in the training room."

 _"Of course, sir. Shall I inform your mother that you're not going to make it for dinner?"_

Harry frowned. He couldn't miss time with his friends and family again. "No. Tell her I'll meet everyone in the dining room for six..." He said softly. "J.A.R.V.I.S, can I ask you something?"

 _"I believe you just did."_

"What are the chances of me living through this tournament?" He asked softly.

 _"Judging by the last five times this tournament has been held, I estimate the chances of an under educated teenager to be...less than 0.1%."_

Harry nodded. "You forgot to factor in one thing, J."

 _"And that is?"_

"My ability to be one lucky bastard." He walked out to the training room, fixing his hair back as best he could.

He had programmed the room with the help of Sirius and Tony. The basic idea of the room was to improve Harry's overall stamina and ability to dodge anything that came his way. He tapped the starting panel, which allowed him to choose from three different scenarios.

The first scenario was one Sirius had pitched to Tony. It was based off of the Aurors training sessions created by Alastor. It would create ten robotic Death Eaters, all of whom would attack in coordinated patterns and waves. The idea of the session was to help the student learn about attack patterns and strategy.

The second scenario was created by Mr Jarvis. It was based on old British Army training techniques from World War II and some extra work exercises from the S.S.R that an old friend of his had taught him in the early fifties. The purpose of this exercise was to train both mind and body to function perfectly on the battlefield. It was a combination of exercising and basic firearm training, as well as espionage and infiltration training.

The final scenario was one Harry had designed himself. It was simply called 'Future' and was based on what Harry knew would one day happen. It was designed to emulate the personality of Voldemort. He didn't know why he created it, but it allowed him to see inside the mind of his enemy.

He activated the first scenario, instantly dodging the first three spells. He ducked his head as a paintball flew past him. It was Sirius's dumb idea to have the robots fire off paintballs to make it more realistic. He swerved past two more paintballs, pointing his wand at the barrel. "Reducto!" He shouted, sliding away from the debris.

He continued training for as long as he could, only stopping once J.A.R.V.I.S announced it was time for him to get ready for dinner.

 **-HS-**

Lily smiled as the last plate was placed on the table. It was Mr Jarvis's idea for them to use the specialised dining room that Tony had set up thanks to the Quinjet. She was impressed by the prototype ship. Its ability to function as a temporary base of operations would work perfectly for S.H.I.E.L.D perfectly.

Hermione and Ron were discussing the classes they had taken with Remus and Sirius.

She wasn't happy that Harry was skipping the lessons, though she softened up on him once she saw that Ron and Hermione would fill him in during the nights.

She watched her son walk in, trying not to mention the fact that he was late. "You hungry, sweetheart?"

Harry nodded. "Starving." He sat across from Hermione, smiling at her.

Lily sat beside Tony. "Time to eat then." Once Jarvis was seated they all began to dig in to the butler's delicious Shepherd's Pie and mushy peas. "Harry, how's your training going?"

Harry played with some mashed potatoes. "It's ok. I'm still working on my plan for the First Task, but since it's a mystery...I don't know what to plan for."

Ron stared at him. "It's Dragons..." He said softly. "I received a letter from my brother Charlie today. He said he was going to be at Hogwarts for a couple of weeks and wanted to catch up with us." He played with his hands. "Charlie's a Dragologist, he wouldn't be here unless they were bringing Dragons." He surmised.

Harry's heart started to clench in his chest as Ron spoke. Dragons. The idea of living through the tournament really was low. "They're insane...I'm fourteen..." He said softly.

Everyone ate in silence after the revelation, leaving only Harry and Lily once they were finished. "You're not going to die." She whispered, wrapping her arm around him. While their relationship had strengthened in a sense, she was always worried when he began to sink into himself.

Harry chuckled weakly. "Usually it's the end of the year when I have to fight some ridiculous creature, or Voldemort...why can't I just have a normal year?"

Lily smiled weakly. "When your dad joined the Aurors, he found out that he was being sent on a mission on what was going to be our first Christmas together as a married couple." She said softly. "So he decides to fake being sick. He and Sirius spend the two weeks before Christmas working on this potion that would make it look like they had Dragonpox." She giggled softly at the memory. "You are your father's son. I know that you'll be able to overcome this." She kissed his forehead.

Harry nodded, an idea quickly coming to the front of his mind. "Dragons..." He whispered softly. "J.A.R.V.I.S, I need every bit of information available on dragons placed on my personal tablet."

 _"Of course sir. I'll transfer all data now."_

Lily smiled. "You and J.A.R.V.I.S seem to be getting along." She chuckled.

Harry agreed with the statement. J.A.R.V.I.S had been a great help to his work. He never really saw J.A.R.V.I.S as a program though, he was just another ally. "Don't tell Mr Jarvis that, I'll most likely be murdered with a lead pipe in the library."

Lily laughed softly. "No more cheesy 80s movies before bed."

 **-HS-**

Before Harry knew what was happening, the day of the First Task was upon him. He sat in the Hogwarts Great Hall with the other schools, messing with his food. His heart was somewhere in his throat from the worry. He had worked on three plans to complete the Task.

He stood once the clock chimed, making his way towards the tent. He stood inside, sitting on one of the beds. Fleur, Viktor and Cedric all knew about the Dragons, he had sent private word to them as a sign of friendship. The whole point of the tournament was supposed to be cooperation and unity.

He nodded his head to the others, keeping his plans in the front of his mind. _"Chances of the first plan working: 100-1. Chances of the second plan working: 1,000-1."_ He thought to himself. The third plan was a real last ditch effort.

Ludo Bagman walked over to them, explaining how the selection of Dragons would take place. Fleur went first, followed by Viktor and then Cedric. Harry picked out the final small model, a vicious looking Hungarian Horntail. His heart stopped in his chest as he finally allowed it to sink in...he had to fight a Dragon.

He sat there, drowning out the noise of the other champions. He rested his head against the headboard, hearing steps. "Skeeter. You attempt to take a picture and the Prophet will need a philosopher's stone to keep you alive." He warned her, opening his eyes. He had missed the weighing of the wands thanks to the hospitalization.

Rita frowned at the boy in front of her. How dare he talk to her like that. "Now, now Harry. I just wanted to get a few words on how it feels to have your mother back."

Harry's wand released from its holster, making its way to Rita's neck. "I'll say this one more time." He said simply. "Leave." He warned her. "I'm not going to let a parasite like you trample over my mother's reputation. You're nothing more than a dung beetle, Skeeter."

Rita heard someone come from behind her. "Help."

Harry nodded. "Get her out of here, Romanoff. And explain how bad it would be for her to mention this." He said to Natasha.

Natasha smirked a little at the look on the woman's face. "What about the photographer?"

Harry shrugged. "Whatever you thinks necessary. Just don't get blood on the carpet this time."

He found it hard to keep a straight face. His mother had told him that Rita was a parasitic reporter who liked to rip people's reputations to shreds for the hell of it. He had practiced how to scare her effectively.

Rita felt her blood turn to ice as the woman grabbed her arm. "You can't do this!" She whimpered.

Natasha chuckled. "Actually, he can. You know yourself, the law doesn't apply to people like him. A little gold goes a long way, Rita. Sure, the Prophet loses a crappy reporter, but they also gain a new printing press from the Potter Corporation." She explained. "No one's going to look into the disappearance of a hated woman. Hell, a little polyjuice potion and no one's the wiser." She swore she could smell urine coming from the shaking reporter.

Harry stopped himself from laughing, watching her carefully. "How does this sound, Skeeter? I'll hire you as my personal reporter from the Prophet. But, you cannot twist facts to make me seem like an attention seeking brat." He held up an old newspaper article. "Mr Potter, the twelve year old who snuck his way into the tournament had refused to attend the Weighing of the Wands. Sources close to Mr Potter say that he had chosen to play around with muggle technology instead of following his contractual obligation." He read aloud.

Rita audibly gulped as she stared into his eyes. "I was told by fellow Gryffindors."

Harry bit the inside of his cheek, trying to keep himself relaxed. "Names."

"Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown...I offered them the opportunity to speak." She whimpered out.

Harry nodded to Romanoff. "You just got hired by me." He said simply. "Do you think you can actually work with a code of ethics?"

Rita nodded as fast as she could, falling to her knees once Romanoff let her go. She stared up at Harry. "What's my base pay?"

Harry sat down, relaxing on the bed. "Fifteen galleons a day plus expenses. You've a way of getting into places you shouldn't. This is your first assignment." He opened his eyes, staring directly into hers. "I want dirt on Lucius Malfoy. My solicitor has had problems with her husband as of late, and I need you to help me."

Rita nodded. "It'll take a couple of months."

Harry held up three fingers. "Weeks. You've three weeks to get as much dirt as you possibly can. Do a good job, and you'll get _**the**_ exclusive interview with Harry Potter."

Rita ran from the tent once she had the chance. Natasha couldn't help but chuckle a little when they were alone. "Sorry about that. She slipped in when I was reporting to Fury."

Harry shrugged it off. "Shit happens." He said softly, checking the watch. "I'm up next..."

Natasha watched him. He had learnt a lot about politics from his godfather. She of course knew that he was still learning how to keep his adrenaline in check. She threw him an energy drink. "Down this. It'll help."

He did as she said, repressing a belch. "That tasted like crap."

She held her hands in front of her, sighing. "Look, I should apologise for a few weeks ago."

Harry shook his head. "No need. You were following orders. I respect that." He said softly. He heard his name being announced. "Wish me luck..."

Natasha smiled. "Good luck, kid." She watched him leave the tent. "Widow to Fury, he's approaching the arena. Prepare for data uplink."

 **-HS-**

Harry stood in the middle of the arena, watching the large Dragon in front of him. It was easily as large as Tony's jet and looked meaner than Hermione when someone ripped a book in half. He hopped out of the way of a large plume of fire, moving behind a rock for cover.

He held his wand out. It was time to see if his plan would work. "Accio earpiece!" He waved his wand, seeing Tony's link to J.A.R.V.I.S fly to his hand. "J.A.R.V.I.S, send in the suit!" He shouted, dodging another spray of flames.

Hermione and Ron were in the stands, trying not to scream. Lily held Maria close to her, letting silent tears fall into the baby's blanket.

Harry saw Tank fly over with the box. He moved as it landed in front of him. He opened it, activating the suit. He jumped back, showing everyone the suit for the first time.

It was shadow black with small grey stripes on the faceplate and arms. The faceplate was split into three pieces, which locked into a T shape. The gauntlet was in place on his left arm, while his wand fit into the slot of his right hand. The suit also held a small arc reactor within the chest cavity to power the rest of the suit. He was just glad Tony had a spare magic absorbing reactor. "J.A.R.V.I.S, give me a status report."

 _"The suit is working at 100% efficiency. The gauntlet's locks are in place and the crystals are connected to the interface."_ J.A.R.V.I.S reported. _"The faceplate seems to be locked up a little, so I would suggest avoiding hits to the face."_

Harry chuckled weakly. "Duly noted." He held up the gauntlet, taking a deep breath. "Aquamenti!" He blasted water towards the Dragon's mouth, landing a hit in its mouth. He grinned, tapping the third crystal. "Earth Shell!" He slammed his hand into the ground, creating a large shell around the Dragon. He made a dash towards the golden egg, sliding towards it.

A loud noise erupted from the shell, causing a blast of fiery earth to shower around him. The Dragon lunged forward, preparing to lash out at the human.

Harry frowned. _"Stop!"_ He hissed out in Parseltongue.

The Dragon stopped for a moment, roaring louder as it attacked with a renewed anger. How dare this human speak to her in the tongue of snakes?! It was a disgusting insult to the powerful Dragon.

He dodged the mouth, cursing internally. "Parseltongue doesn't work. Nice to know." He panted, standing up. He grinned a little, activating the faceplate's scanners. "J.A.R.V.I.S, give me some info."

 _"Hungarian Horntail. Size: forty foot. Wingspan: one hundred feet. Fire arc capabilities: fifteen feet diameter by a length of sixty foot. Age: 16. By the size of the nest I reckon this is her first clutch of eggs, sir. I would not advise getting to close to the Dragon, she's in her most violent stage of life right now and her nest would double the anger of the young mother."_

Harry chuckled weakly. "Great..." He muttered sarcastically. He glanced at the gauntlet. He hadn't tried the Legion spell yet. Pablo's notes were extremely against the use of Legion. He had no choice though. The Horntail was growling at him dangerously. He took a shaky breath, holding his hand out. He moved his ring finger, calming himself. "Legion!" He shouted. At first nothing happened, until an inhuman scream was heard from the Dragon. He looked on in shock as a small army of shadowy figures attacked the Dragon. It was a sickening sight for everyone in the arena. The creatures resembled Harry, though they were emitting a dangerous aura from within. The truly sickening thing was the creatures seemed to be feasting on the Dragon. He felt the familiar coldness of Dementors from the creatures. They couldn't be a mutated version of the dangerous creatures, could they?

 _"Sir, the Dragon is suffering from intense bite marks. I fear if we do not stop them, then they will kill the beast."_

Harry touched the white crystal, focusing every positive emotion he had in his soul. "Expecto Patronum!" The stag erupted from the gauntlet, destroying the shadowy creatures. He ran to the Dragon, lifting the egg. "Someone get Charlie Weasley!" He shouted.

Charlie ran over to him, checking on the Dragon. "Poor Sal. She's hurt bad." He grabbed Harry by the shoulder. "What the fuck were you doing?!"

Harry frowned. "I...I didn't know that would happen..." He observed the judges.

"Harry Potter has finished with a time of twenty five minutes and fifty seconds." Bagman announced. "He will know make his way to the medical tent."

 **-HS-**

Harry walked in a daze to the medical tent. He stopped at the bed. "J.A.R.V.I.S, deactivate the suit." The suit began to retract until only the shoulder gauntlet remained.

Lily, Tony, Jarvis, Hermione, Ron and Charlie made their way over to him. "Are you ok?" Lily asked softly.

"I want that thing destroyed..." He whispered, refusing to look at the gauntlet. "That poor Dragon."

Charlie crossed his arms, staring at Harry. "She'll be fine." He said softly. "The judges are about to announce your points. You should be out there."

He nodded weakly, making his way outside. Dumbledore held up his wand, casting a spell. A small ribbon appeared in front of him, showing the number six.

Madam Olympe repeated the spell, showing a six.

Karkaroff went next, showing a three.

Lily had made her way to the judge's area, casting her spell. A seven appeared from her wand, showing no favouritism.

"Twenty-two out of forty means that Harry Potter is currently last." Bagman announced.

Harry closed his eyes. He understood the scores, but a small part of him had wished that his mum had been biased and just given him a ten. "Charlie, how much will it cost for Sal's treatment?"

Charlie thought for a moment. "Two hundred galleons, give or take."

Harry nodded. "Send me the bill..." He walked out of the arena, heading to the Quinjet. He threw the gauntlet into the lab. "Lock it up, J. Maximum security."

 _"As you wish, sir. Shall I contact Director Fury to take it back to S.H.I.E.L.D?"_

Harry shook his head. "No. I want to study it for a while longer."

 _"Of course. Your mother is trying to gain access. Shall I let her in?"_

"Yeah..." Harry nodded.

The door opened after a few seconds. "Harry?" She saw his eyes. There was pain, and a sadness that made her heart melt. "Sweetheart, about your score..."

"You had to be impartial." He shrugged, sitting at his desk. "I shouldn't have used the gauntlet. I should've just used the Firebolt and grabbed the egg..."

Lily frowned. "That would've been suicide." She said sternly. "You did the best you could with the opportunities available to you."

"I'm locking the gauntlet away." Harry said suddenly. "I want Tank to drop it in the deepest part of the ocean."

Lily looked over at the vault. "I think you should keep working at it. You're on the right track, all you have to do now is control the power." She gently stroked his cheek. "I believe in you."

"I nearly killed that Dragon..." Harry whimpered. "I nearly took a life again..."

Lily frowned. Harry had told her about the encounter with Voldemort in his first year and the death of Professor Quirrel. It was obvious that Harry had blamed himself for the man's death. As for the Basilisk, Harry had explained that he felt remorse for ending the creature's life. "Quirrel was killed by Voldemort."

"The Basilisk...Quirrel...I've taken two lives in four years." Harry said calmly. "Both times were life or death, but I wanted to kill Sirius." He admitted, his voice cracking slightly. "I was going to end his life for betraying you and dad. I had it all planned out, mum. The Shrieking Shack was going to be the site of his death. He was going to pay for what he did."

Lily rubbed his back. "That was just anger, Harry. Justified anger."

Harry shook his head. "It was cold...calculated. I knew what I was doing." He said softly. "There's evil in me...Voldemort knows it...I think Professor Dumbledore does as well. I'm not pure of heart. There are days where I just want to..."

Lily kissed his forehead. "Kill people?" She asked casually. "Go to Azkaban and rip out the hearts of the Lestrange Family for hurting your friends? To round up and kill all Death Eaters?" She held him close to her. "That's not evil, Harry. It's passion. And passion isn't evil. Passion is something that could be dangerous to those who can't keep their emotions in check. You're learning control of many things. You're not drinking...you're opening up to us." She smiled. "You my son, could never be as evil as Voldemort. You're too much of a caring soul."

Harry felt tears come to his eyes. "Thank you." He whispered softly, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Besides, no one like you could be evil. An evil person wouldn't have ended Legion."

Harry thought for a second. "Yeah..."

 **A/N: Ok, so I know it's been a long time since I updated, but I'd like to explai myself if I may.**

 **The month of May is the one month I hate. I lost my grandmother in 04 and my grandfather in 14. My niece also passed away in May...so I really fucking hate it. I've been working on this chapter and reworking it constantly.**

 **The second thing is, well health problems suck. They really, really suck. My blood pressure hasn't been the best lately, which is throwing my concentration off. I'm an obese lad and until I manage my weight better, I'm on pills.**

 **I want to thank you for reading. Now, the first round of answered questions. Remember, you can ask a question in the reviews if you're curious about something.**

 **1\. What are the other pairings?**

 **Harry/Hermione, Tony/Lily, are the only ones I'll divulge at the moment. Mostly because it involves characters I haven't introduced yet.**

 **2\. Are they (Harry &Ron) going to fight again?**

 **Yep. All friends fight.**

 **3\. Wonder if the Avengers will come into the picture?**

 **They will eventually be introduced.**

 **4\. Is Harry getting his own suit?"**

 **I put this in here because I want to discuss it in more detail. Harry's not going to be a magical Iron Man copy. My plan is for Harry to be more of an everyman kind of hero. Saying that, he will use a lot of Stark Tech to help him out.**

 **5\. You know that works as well as that Gauntlet? A wand!**

 **Yeah, but the Gauntlet has increased security, security systems and an awesome backstory.**

 **6\. Harry Potter is Tony Stark's stepFATHER?**

 **Yeah. It's a fucked up situation. And typos can be really funny.**

 **7\. Is the Shadow Copy going to be like a Naruto Shadow Clone?**

 **I've never seen Naruto. Pokémon, Fullmetal Alchemist and Ghost in the Shell were my go to animes.**


	14. The Magical Avengers Initiative

**Chapter Thirteen: The Magical Avengers Initiative**

The matrix that ran J.A.R.V.I.S was not designed to be a virtual assistant. The original function of the program was nothing more than a language matrix designed to allow dignitaries to speak to one another without the need for translators or other such nonsense. With time however, J.A.R.V.I.S became so much more. Harry was currently trying to alter several parts of the matrix. "How have you so much excess shit left here? I'm seeing parts of your original programming here."

" _I believe Mr. Stark left my original use operational so I could be of use whenever he couldn't understand a potential buyer."_ J.A.R.V.I.S explained.

Harry rolled his eyes at the explantation. "Why the hell would he waste nearly an entire Terabyte on something as trivial as goddamn language parameters? It's a complete waste of potential power, J." He transferred the data stream onto a spare Hard Drive. "I'm adding a new software into your programming. If this works, I'll be able to use you in the same way as Tony does." He clicked some of the keys on the keyboard, initiating the transfer. The progress bar read seven hours, which meant he had enough time to spend time with Hermione and Ron.

He walked out of the main lab, heading towards the Great Hall in Hogwarts. The Great Hall looked a lot more lively since the upgrade to electronics. The female students from Beauxbatons were sitting at the Ravenclaw table, discussing several fashion trends with Cho and some other students. The male Beauxbatons students were speaking with the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors about the use of the Wronski Feint in the World Cup match just a few months ago. He walked to the Gryffindor table, sitting beside his friends. "So, I've seven hours to kill. What's on the books for today?"

Hermione didn't look up from her book. "What? Sorry, Remus and Sirius gave us a ten page essay on the use of defensive magic in offensive ways." She said softly, keeping a couple of books open. Hermione enjoyed the new lessons from Sirius and Remus. They were challenging the teens minds in a way that she didn't think could be challenged. For Hermione, Rictumsempra was just a stupid spell that caused the other person to be tickled. She never really thought about using the childish spell as a way to make another person drop their wand quickly. True, the Expelliarmus spell would do the same thing, but the pronunciation of Rictumsempra was quicker to speak. She finished the last sentence she needed to jot down before taking a well needed break.

Ron ran his hand through his hair, trying to think of a good way to use a spell. "Hermione, would you use the Aguamenti for offense usually?"

Hermione scratched her head. "I don't know. I think it's only really used as a way to keep fires from spreading. So in a sense it can be offensive, but its origins are defensive."

Ron nodded, jotting the use of the spell mixed with the Glacius spell to freeze opponents in place in order to have an extra amount of time to retreat. He closed the notebook over, groaning. "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I'm really enjoying the lessons we're getting from the Marauders." He said softly. "I'm learning tons more than I did in three years of D.A.D.A classes."

Harry nodded. "I'm glad they've been teaching us too. I'm just sad it's only for this year. Between the two of them and Mum, we've basically got an entire staffs worth of teachers to help us out with all of our subjects." He sat between the two of them, giving Hermione a small kiss.

"EW! Can you two please just stop kissing around me?" Ron asked, crinkling his nose in disgust.

Harry smirked to himself, moving closer to Ron. "I know what this is about." He wrapped his arms around him. "I'm sorry Ron, but you're just not my type." He kissed him quickly, laughing once he broke it off.

Ron wiped his mouth off, spitting slightly. "Uh, you're fucking disgusting!" He was laughing as it said it, so it took the sting out of his words. Ron was glad that his friend was becoming more outgoing. It was showing the two that Harry was truly beginning to allow them to see the real him.

Ginny sat near them, and pouted to Harry. "Can I not get a kiss too?"

Harry nudged Hermione's side gently. "Now Ginny, I do believe it is bad practice for you to snog your own brother. You're justing adding to the stigma that Purebloods are all incestious." He watched her face turn into one of pure disgust.

"That's not even one bit funny, Harry." She said, shivering. "Besides, I've five other brothers I could choose from." She winked at him, watching his own mouth drop open. "Don't try me, I'll make you blush so much, you'll look like an 80's era male model."

Harry burst out laughing at the choice of words. "Damn, Ronnie, your little sister seems to have really upped her game." He opened his own notebook, clicking his pen. 'Ok, so I need to think of a defensive spell that'll have offensive use.'

 _The Patronus Charm (Expecto Patronum) is well known for its use against Dementors and Lethifolds. The spell uses the happy emotions and memories of the user to create a powerful burst of energy. Expecto Patronum could be argued as a defensive spell, since it is lethal to the aforementioned species. However, in a duel, Expecto Patronum is believed to be absolutely useless in a proper battle._

 _What most people do not realise, is that the Patronus Charm has a plethora of offensive features. The first main offensive use of the Patronus Charm is the ability to use the power of the Patroni, which take on the form of a creature, can actually attack any target. The power of the Patroni can unleash a powerful display of strength when needed to protect the caster._

 _The mist version of the Patronus Charm, while weaker, can allow for some close range use to blind the opponent. Some creatures, such as Veela, Vampires, Hags and Werewolves have been known for their sensitive eyes. The mist, which can be harmless to humans, can be used to fight against the aforementioned enemies._

 _Patroni can also be split into multiple versions of the same creature. If someone truly masters the spell, then they could, in theory be able to use the multiple forms to either attack a group of enemies, or to repel any chance of a horde attack._

He closed the notebook after that. It was only one regular notebook page right now, but he would finish it when he needed to add features and functions to the Gauntlet. He had decided to take his mother's advice. He would master the Gauntlet, after that...he'd explain to S.H.I.E.L.D that the Gauntlet needed to stay within magical hands. The Muggles were not to be trusted with this level of technology, especially not S.H.I.E.L.D, they didn't seem to understand the way the magical world worked, and that frightened him.

He hadn't realised that music was playing within the Great Hall. He had forgotten that they installed a decent sound system. "That's my playlist." He laughed slightly, hearing House of Pain's Jump Around. "Damn, they have my hip-hop playlist. We need to turn it off."

Hermione nodded, though it was more like she was bopping along to the music. She began to sing along to the song, throwing fake gang signs that made her look slightly ridiculous.

Harry laughed, adding his own voice to the song. To his surprise, most of the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables began to bop along with the music. He loved the fact that some Muggle culture had began to creep into the castle. Some Purebloods had really enjoyed the new things. Female students who once insulted the Muggle culture now found fashions that surpassed their own ones, as well as models and makeup gurus who opened a new world of fashion to them.

Pureblood sport enthusiasts found a new love for sports such as football (the true name of soccer) as Dean called it, cricket and golf. Harry was happy that they had started to show the games on tv. Watched Manchester United playing was something he truly missed. Football season would be over by the time school ended, so it was hard for the Red fan to enjoy the victories of his club.

Hermione had surprised him, by announcing herself as a Chelsea fan. He couldn't help but love her anyway, even if she did follow a subpar club.

Ron had been watching a lot of games, but was yet to find a club he wanted to support. What did help him was the fact that Tony was in talks with a lot of different people about creating the first ever magical television channel. It would take months to begin work on it, but the first planned broadcast was to be a Quidditch game.

 **-HS-**

The three teens went outside to the grounds, seeing Lily and Maria sitting on a blanket with a picnic basket. Well, Lily was sitting, Maria was safely placed within her arms, and cooing at her mother. She waved the three teens over, making room for them. "I was just enjoying the cool day."

Harry understood that. For November, it was unseasonably warm out. The temperature was still below ten degrees, but it wasn't too cold out. He sat down, staring nervously at Maria. He hadn't really held her since her birth, in all honesty the child actually seemed to scare him. She was so small and delicate. It didn't escape his notice however, that his mother was trying to get him to hold the baby more and more with every passing day. He relaxed on the blanket, taking one of the butterbeers from the cooler. "So, where's Iron Man?" He asked, noticing that Tony and Jarvis were nowhere to be found.

"Another meeting with Director Fury." Lily said softly, knowing that her son would understand the secrecy. Though she didn't understand why. After all, Ron and Hermione were in Harry's inner circle, so they knew everything he was up to.

Hermione frowned. "Director Fury's probably thinking about taking back the Gauntlet. The Legion spell's purpose has now been seen. He'll want to weaponise it for S.H.I.E.L.D's own purpose." She took one of the butterbeers, mimicking Harry's actions.

Ron tapped the ground for a second, thinking about the predicament. "No. Fury's smarter than that. It's like chess, sometimes you have to sacrifice a pawn in order to protect your knights and queen. Fury's using you as a Knight, Harry. The Gauntlet is just a pawn in his games." He said softly, sipping his own butterbeer. "If he's in anyway as smart as he looks, Fury's going to offer you full use of his resources to you. He wants the power of the Gauntlet for something."

Harry nodded, thinking of the research notes. "Pablo's notes mentioned that his research was once under the guidance of the Colombian Ministry of Magic. It wasn't until they realised that he had began to use some illegal spells before he took his research underground." He put down the bottle, staring at Maria. "How's my baby sister doing today?" He asked, poking her nose gently.

Maria looked up at the person in front of her. She babbled up to him, reaching out for his finger.

Lily smiled softly at the sight of her two children, which she once thought would have been impossible. "You know, I bet you Maria would love some cuddles from her big brother." She knew she was being a little pushy, but she wanted to see what he would do.

Harry bit his lip, feeling a sudden weight in his arms. His mother had thankfully placed her so his elbow was supporting her fragile neck. He felt his body tighten until he was basically like a statue. He wasn't able for this. "C-Can someone please take her?" He asked, starting to panic a little.

Hermione took the baby into her arms, watching Harry carefully. "Breathe Harry, just breathe." She whispered softly.

Harry nodded, taking a sip of his butterbeer. "I'm sorry." He stood up, walking away.

Lily sighed. "I pushed him too far…" She rubbed her forehead. "You're really good with babies, Hermione."

"I'm from a big family. Loads of cousins and stuff to cuddle. So I've loads of practice with babies." She cooed at the little baby in her arms, kissing her forehead.

Lily smiled, fixing her daughter's red locks. "She and Harry were both born with big heads of hair, I thought that was James's fault when Harry was born. Turns out the Evans family just has shit hair." She laughed.

Ron followed Harry over to one of the trees. "How are you?" He asked.

Harry punched the tree. "Well, I couldn't really explain it." He sighed. "Every time I think I'm making progress, something fucking happens to me! Whenever I think I'm actually fucking normal, life just reminds me that I'm a…"

"Don't say it." Ron warned him.

"I'm a fucking freak…" Harry sighed again.

Ron frowned at him. "You know something. You're right." He said softly. "You're a freak at times. You speak Parseltongue in your bloody sleep! You put honey in your mashed potatoes with loads of mustard and you've consumed more bloody treacle tart than anyone in England!" He gripped his shoulders. "Everyone's a freak, Harry." He laughed. "I know for a fact that Ginny's written Mrs. Ginny Potter on more than one piece of parchment." He pointed out. "Tony's a child in an adult's body. Mr. Jarvis literally lives for servitude to a point he rivals any house-elf!"

Harry smiled a little. He hadn't realised how much Ron had grown as well in the last few months. Gone was the childishness, replaced with someone who had an understanding of the people around him and a great amount of intellect to show. "I'm dropping Divination." He said softly. "Mum said she'll teach me enough so I can take Ancient Runes." He rubbed his arm. "I think it's something you might be able to excel in it, Ron. Runes is just like chess, you've so many variables to work out when you make an array."

Ron smiled to him. "I'll think about it."

Harry walked back to his mother and girlfriend, sitting back on the grass. "Sorry about that." He whispered softly, staring at Hermione. "You look so natural with her in your arms." He chuckled.

Hermione blushed a little, holding Maria close. "Hear that, Maria? Your brother's trying to tie me down a lot lately. I think his ego is growing a lot." She teased him, still looking at the baby. "I just want to take her to my room tonight and cuddle her!"

Lily smirked. "Believe me, you don't." She laughed. "Try waking up at 4am to feed her."

"I could do that." Hermione said bravely. "It's easy to feed from a bottle."

Lily smirked again. "I don't use a bottle, sweetheart." She said softly. "I've been feeding her the old fashioned way."

Hermione blushed a little. "Ah." She saw the boys turning the same shade of red as she did. "I suppose that's better for her immune system." She handed the baby back to her mother. "Harry, you should try and hold her again, at your own pace this time."

Harry nodded, gently lifting her head and body to him. He sat cross legged, resting her gently at his knee and arm. He took small breaths, gently playing with Maria's hand. He cooed a little at her, trying to keep himself calm. He didn't understand the appeal of babies though. She was basically just a drunk person right now. No bladder or bowel control. Not able to stand or talk. Making nonsense noises. She was him when he had drank too much. He played with her hand for a while, before handing the little one back to her mother. He was happy that he hadn't froze as badly that time, though he didn't exactly like holding the baby either. It felt weird.

 **-HS-**

While his family was busy hanging around the grounds of Hogwarts, Tony and Jarvis were in the main meeting room of S.H.I.E.L.D in Washington D.C. with Nick Fury, Maria Hill and Agent Coulson. Tony wasn't really in the mood for anything S.H.I.E.L.D had to say right now. He had been drinking the previous night with Sirius and Remus. While he had fun with the two of them, it was apparent that both men had higher tolerance for Firewhiskey then he had. He had a pair of sunglasses on, relaxing against the chair as Coulson gave a report on Bruce Banner, who S.H.I.E.L.D were still trying to find.

"We've some promising reports coming from Nevada. Old Thaddeus is still hunting him." Coulson explained, placing another blip on the digitised map of the world. "Right now I'm working on distracting the old fool. The Hulk could be a credible asset for the Avengers Initiative."

Tony groaned. "Look, can someone please shut him up?" He asked, rubbing his forehead. "You're talking about a human being, Coulson!" He said angrily. "Banner may become a monster when his anger levels rise, but he has rights."

Coulson frowned. "Listen here, Stark. You're here in an advisory role. None of us really want to hear what you're saying. So just sit there and let the professionals talk."

Tony chuckled, standing up. He threw a design towards the table. "Right now, it's a pipe dream of mine." He said simply. It was a larger suit than any of them had ever seen. "I introduce you all to the Hulkbuster, aka Veronica. I need Banner's help to create it though. If we can get Banner to help us, he'd be safe and the world would have the security needed in case he decided to go the way of the angry creature again!"

Fury stared at the schematics for the Hulkbuster suit. "I want to know how long this will take with Banner's help." He crossed his arms.

Tony took out one of his tablets, scanning the time section. "J.A.R.V.I.S, how long would it take with the help of Mr. Banner?" He asked his trusty companion.

" _If Mr. Banner's insights with the Hulk are worth what we think they are, we should be able to fabricate a complete suit within six months."_ J.A.R.V.I.S responded. " _However, it could be as early as four months if we use Mr. Potter's help."_

Fury contemplated the idea for a few moments. "Potter has apparently been a huge help already. I looked at his performance from the first task, although the boy is severely under trained, he has a lot of potential. If we can get Potter to control the power of the Gauntlet, we may be able to have a field test team." He grinned.

Coulson sighed. "Not this again, Nick." He said tiredly, rubbing his forehead. The Magical Avengers Initiative is nothing more than a fool's fantasy at this point." He took out the files. "Half of the people we've interviewed for the roles have turned us down." He reminded him. "True, Potter has potential, but the rest of them are degenerates and damn crooks!" He shouted.

Tony took the files into his hand. "You're planning a team of teenagers to work as a field test of the Avengers?" He chuckled. "That's the dumbest idea I've heard in a long time…and you're talking to the guy who created the singing bullet when he was seventeen!"

Nick sighed. "It's a plan. One that I think could be really helpful." He shrugged. "The International Conference of Warlocks is only able to help in the most extreme cases. S.H.I.E.L.D could be the greatest thing to ever happen to the I.C.W, Tony. We could create a team to help the world. To bridge the gap further between Magical and Muggle." He opened the files. "All our candidates at the moment."

Tony went over to the desk, checking over all the files.

 _ **Subject:**_ _Harry James Potter_

 _ **Age:**_ _14_

 _ **Information:**_ _Known as the Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter is famous for destroying the Dark Lord known as Voldemort. Proficient in the use of Technomancy (The combination of magic and technology), Mr. Potter is currently working on the Gauntlet project._

 _ **Agent's notes:**_ _Potter shows signs of extreme emotional turmoil as well as a hatred of non-magical authority. His mental state seems to be functional under pressure. His love for his friends and family can be a weakness as he tends to place himself in danger to protect._

 _Potter has no sense of self preservation. Personally I believe that Potter would be a prime candidate for the M.A.I because of his intelligence and overall ability to work under pressure._

 _ **Psychological report:**_ _N/A_

 _ **Subject:**_ _Susanna (Last name unknown)_

 _ **Age:**_ _17_

 _ **Information:**_ _Not much is known about this subject. She appears to be a confidence trickster, who uses her magic to rob both magical and muggle banks for millions. No fingerprints, dental records or hospital records exist. One image is provided in the Agent's Notes. Not known if she is in disguise or not. Subject has an extensive knowledge of magic and lockpicking skills as well as sufficient knowledge of Technomancy and Potions making._

 _ **Agent's Notes:**_ _Bitch is hard to find. I wasted a whole quiver of tracking arrows before I tagged her. She's a pain in my ass, guys. Tell Fury that this one would be perfect for S.H.I.E.L.D, I'm pretty sure she doesn't exist at this point and Natasha is just dicking around. Tagged a picture, hope it's helpful for you all._

 _ **Psychological Report:**_ _N/A_

Tony examined her picture for a moment. She had shoulder length blonde hair and piercing grey eyes. He knew the bank well. "That's my father's old bank. He helped fund the building of it in '66."

Fury placed another folder in front of them. "Not a magical, but this individual has been of some importance." He chuckled.

 _ **Subject:**_ _Kurt Wagner alias Nightcrawler_

 _ **Age:**_ _16_

 _ **Information:**_ _Mutant male from Eastern Europe. Born into circus life, Wagner has the ability to project himself anywhere with just a thought. This teleportation is distinguishable by a puff of blue sulphur dioxide. Wagner is trained in infiltration and espionage. Known to be currently under the tutelage of Professor Charles Xavier, Wagner has shown rebellious tendencies while working with the group, codenamed X-Men._

 _ **Agent's Note:**_ _I've cased the mansion a few times and I'm not sure why we're focusing on the kid. Several other mutants would've been better subjects. I understand the kid has connections with a high level sorcerer, but couldn't we have went for the Russian kid made of metal? He's badass! The kid's a bit of an outcast in the mansion. Two students tend to talk to him, but they're doing so out of a sense of pity rather than actual friendship. The kid's lonely. Might be a way in._

 _ **Psychological Report:**_ _Wagner's life has been one of abandonment. Left outside the circus as a newborn, he has a habit of latching onto the elderly or those in a place of authority. His current mentor, Charles Xavier has tried to break the young man from his habits, though it seems to be failing._

Tony ran his hand through his hair. "Fury, if my wife sees this, she's going to kill you." He said bluntly. "I'm not a huge fan of the idea either. You're talking about turning my stepson into a soldier for hire situation." He let out a deep breath. "They're kids, Nick."

Coulson felt like pinching himself. Was he actually agreeing with Stark? "He's right, Nick. We both know that the kids would be hard to control and impossible to form any semblance of a proper team." He sat down at his desk. "In all honesty, Stark, I don't think it's right using children either. Wagner and our mystery bank robber may be close to the legal age of adulthood, but Potter's not even fifteen." He sipped his coffee, staring at Jarvis. "What about you, Director Jarvis?"

Jarvis chuckled. "I've been retired from S.H.I.E.L.D for nearly two decades now, Agent Coulson, you may just call me Edmin." He examined the files. "I see what I saw when the S.S.R became S.H.I.E.L.D, a bunch of people who need to come together under a single banner." He admitted. "Mr. Potter is the obvious exception to all this though. He has a close inner circle of friends who work with him. You wouldn't be able to recruit him on his own."

Tony sighed. "Let me take this to Lily." He said to Fury. "I'll explain the situation to her and Harry. If she thinks it's a good idea, you'll have the first member of your M.A.I idea." He poured himself a cup of coffee, sitting back down. "What happened in New Mexico?"

Coulson chuckled. "A hammer fell. Alien by the looks of it." He brought up a screen. "As well as that, we're currently…we're scanning the Arctic." He turned to Jarvis. "She was right."

Jarvis sat down quickly. "Impossible." He whispered, staring into nothing. "We searched…Howard and I scanned the damn ocean a million times. All we ever found was, the shield." He closed his eyes. "I'm going to tell her, we're bringing his body home. She deserves to be able to say goodbye." He left the room.

Tony followed him out. "Tell Peg I said hi." He said softly.

Jarvis chuckled. "I always forget how fond of the woman you were." He got into the car.

Tony chuckled to himself. "In all honesty, it was nice to have someone else around who hated the man as much as I did." He activated the beacon for the suit. "I'll see you bright and early on Monday morning. The Quinjet will be there for your personal use." He said simply, moving so the Mark VI could land.

 **A/N: And so we've come to the point of the story I've been most dreading, setting up the Avengers part. Marvel's got an entire team of writers and idea makers when it comes to setting out their plots. So I hope you'll all bare with me as I mix two intense worlds together in the next few chapters. There's going to be a lot of OCC moments when it comes to certain characters from this point on. Fans of the Marvel universe will see a lot more of them than our own Potterverse has been so far. I'm back writing on a laptop, so I'm hoping to fill the chapters with more in-depth thoughts and ideas. Hope you all enjoyed and please drop a review.**


	15. Within

**Chapter Fourteen: Within**

Lily walked into the first floor classroom, locking it behind her. "Ok. So each of you is here because you're currently under some form of marriage arrangement or contract. My name is Lily Stark. And for the next three months I'm going to be teaching you about caring for a newborn baby." She saw the couples all instantly looking worried. She had finally gotten around to starting the classes for the purebloods and knew that it was only a matter of time before she had to watch the poor kids struggling to help each other. "I'd like to introduce yourselves and your circumstances. There's no such thing as Hogwarts houses or blood bias here." She informed them sternly.

A blonde haired girl and her equally nervous looking partner stood up. "I'm Rebecca Sanders and this is Malachy Smith. We've known each other since we were babies and our contract was set up before we entered school. I graduate next year and Mal graduates this year…"

The couple beside them sat up. "I'm Simon and this is Anna. We were contracted before birth. We're both sixth years and we've to be married this June…"

Lily glanced at the couple in the back of the room. "And what about you two?" She asked curiously.

The boy sighed. "I'm Alexander. I don't want to be here and the only reason I am is because my father owed a huge debt to the wrong people."

"I'm Fiona. I'm currently two months pregnant. Alexander and I have been married for three months." She avoided her partner's eyes. "I just need to know how to properly care for my baby."

Lily nodded, sighing internally. The girl was the one who didn't want to be here. "Now, let me introduce my assistant." She picked up Maria gently. "This is Maria Stark. She's only a month old, so please be careful when we start practicing proper holding techniques." She placed Maria in a cot on the desk. "Now, under each desk is a box containing a robotic baby. It's a fake baby you'll be caring about for the next six months." She explained. "You've fifteen minutes to name your babies, then we begin."

Fiona walked up to the desk, staring at Maria. "She's adorable." She smiled softly. "Did you name her?"

Lily nodded. "It's a funny story actually. My mother's name was Maria, as was my husband's mother. When we saw our little girl, I knew immediately what to name her." She explained, sitting on the desk. "Maria here is my second child. I believe you've met Harry?" She asked curiously.

Fiona nodded. "He's a couple of years younger than me, but I used to play on the Hufflepuff team last year." She explained. "Little bugger managed to deflect a bludger into my arm." She chuckled.

Lily smiled, watching the others. "You need to name the baby."

"I know." She whispered, heading back to her seat. Lily noted that she didn't sit as close to her partner.

Once the class had named the dolls, Lily activated them. "These robots will behave like real babies. They'll cry, piss and shit themselves and occasionally vomit." She said bluntly. "You're first week will be easy though. There's a diagram on how to hold your baby. Study it for the next hour and then I'll put them on fragile mode. While in that mode, their necks will be as fragile as Maria's." She warned them. "Seven days. If you manage to keep them alive for a week, you move onto the next stage. Fail, and I can't help you." She said sternly. "Week two will be feeding and changing, so enjoy the easy week." All the students began to examine the pamphlet with the diagrams, except for Alexander. "Is there a problem, Alexander?"

Alexander rolled his eyes in a bored fashion. "Why do I need to know how to hold a baby? The nanny's going to do most the work."

Lily frowned. "I see." She played with Maria's hand as she spoke. "If that's your attitude, why are you here?"

"I was told it was couples only, and _**SHE**_ wanted to come." He pointed to his wife, who was timidly hiding her face.

"Ok." Lily nodded her head. "I won't waste anymore of your precious time then. Fiona can come to the classes on her own. You're welcome to leave." She said simply, using her wand to open the door. "But if you do walk out that door, I will have to write a report to the Headmaster that an expecting father can't be arsed to learn proper safety procedures for the castle. Which means your wife will be allowed her own private dorm by herself. You'll continue to sleep in your dorm room with your dorm mates and end up missing out on the true experience of fatherhood."

"Whatever." Alexander grunted, walking out of the room as fast as he could.

Lily closed her eyes for a moment once he left. "Ok. Anybody else not want to be here?" She asked curiously. Most of the class left, until it was only her and Fiona. "Typical." She stared at the girl. "Don't bother with the robot. If you can spare an hour a day, you can watch Maria under my care."

Fiona nodded timidly, keeping her eyes on the ground. "He's not a bad guy…he's just scared." She said softly. "His father forced him into this…"

Lily smiled sadly. "So were you." She reminded the girl, staring at her intently. "Contracts aren't something I'm overly fond of."

Fiona smirked. "No one is." She admitted. "The things are completely barbaric. I'm bloody pregnant right now instead of focusing on my N.E.W.T's like I should be. I'm getting sick every morning and half my friends have bloody abandoned me." She sobbed out, letting her tears fall. "I'm sorry. This is none of your concern…"

Lily took out a plate of cookies, putting them in front of her. "When I was your age, I had these mates. Frank and Alice. They were bloody perfect for one another." She said softly, nibbling on a cookie. "Frank was a Quidditch-head, who knew every single formation from every single team. Alice was a botanist by nature who managed to make time for anyone and everyone." She smiled to herself. "When they entered seventh year, they were betrothed. Alice didn't really enjoy the experience…she said it nearly ruined their marriage before it began. The problem was communication." She explained, looking into the girl's eyes. "They never spoke about their feelings."

Fiona nodded at her, finishing her cookie. "Thank you, Mrs Stark."

 **-HS-**

As his mother was helping a young lady with family problems, Harry stood in the lab, gulping slightly. "J.A.R.V.I.S, activate a recording session."

" _Recording."_

"Journal entry fifteen. Date: 30th November 2010. The new alterations have been added to the Gauntlet and the armour." He spoke, fixing the new faceplate into place. "The metal has been trimmed with aluminium and carbon fibre, which has made it 35% lighter than the prototype model. I've added a specialised feature to the actual gauntlet section, which allows it to disengage from the rest of the suit and go to the vault." He tapped the final controls. "I've also added a targeting system and integrated J.A.R.V.I.S into the computer's guidelines."

The console in front of him began to beep.

"I'm going to attempt the first test of the targeting system." He placed the Gauntlet and armour on, fixing the second faceplate into place. "J.A.R.V.I.S, prepare the first target."

" _Target one: A projectile of pure steel. Imitating a missile."_

Harry's visor tracked the movement of the projectile. "Incendio!" He cast, feeling the arc of fire leave the gauntlet. "J.A.R.V.I.S?"

" _The control runes are not functioning properly, sir."_

Harry frowned. "Test one is a failure. The lighter metals and carbon fibre has caused the rune dial to malfunction at counter-clockwise turns." He ejected the Gauntlet to the repair area. "Create a new Gauntlet, this one is to be aluminium and tin."

" _Sir, the armour qualities will be extremely minimal."_ J.A.R.V.I.S warned.

Harry sighed. "Ok, then contact Tony. Ask him for whatever metals he uses for the aquatic suits." He ran a hand through his hair. "How's my other order going?"

" _The project will be ready within the day, sir."_ J.A.R.V.I.S replied.

Harry nodded. "Thank you, J." He smiled. "I'll be in the study if anyone calls."

" _Of course, sir. Enjoy your studies."_

Harry walked into the study, picking up one of Moody's old books. He turned to the fifth chapter of the book, which intrigued him greatly.

 _ **History of the Unforgivables**_

 _While most would label the creators of the Unforgivable curses as 'vile', I personally commend them on what they had created. The three Darkest spells ever created, have probably the Lightest history of all spells. Take the Imperius curse for example. Effect for making someone do your bidding, but a more effective way of calming a man who was about to lose an arm to sepsis. The Imperius curse is believed to be created by a Healer, Gregory Summers, in the year 1024. The spell was created at the height of the Crusades, as a way to relax soldiers who would watch their men slaughtered like animals and who were losing limbs to war and disease._

 _The Cruciatus is the one with a murky history to begin. The spell was actually an experiment in the discovery of the nervous system and its effects on the human body. The creator, whose name has been lost to history, created the spell for scientific reasons. The spell has been known to cause irreversible damage to anyone under the effect for more than ninety seconds. The spell can also hold medical uses, which many people seem to overlook. An Auror suffering from shock has been known to spasm uncontrollably. Proper use of the Cruciatus could numb the nerves for a short while, allowing the patient to recover fully. I admit to using this exact technique more than once when in the field. (Yeah, on me and Padfoot you old bastard)_ was scribbled beside it.

 _The Killing Curse's name is self explanatory, it kills people! But the origin of its use is one of interest to anyone who really understands history. The Killing Curse, originally known as the Executioner's Spell, was used as a humane death sentence method in France in the beginning of the eleventh century. From there it began to find use in medical wards under the name of the Angel of Mercy spell, to allow patients suffering the effects of bubonic plague an honourable death. It wasn't until a Healer by the name of Samuel Pill used the spell in a duel did it earn its most notable moniker. The spell is a true example of what the Dark Arts can manage. A spell, created for honour and dignity, instead used as a tool for destruction and chaos._

 _For a long time, people have argued that the spells should be completely erased from history and made lost to all those hungry for power. Personally, I see the destruction of the spells as an unforgivable act in itself. Knowledge, be it good or evil, should be available to those who do not hold a malicious heart. Magic itself does not adhere to a moniker. The spell lumos, which we all use to illuminate the way, could be used to blind an opponent in order to finish them off. The disembowelment curse, could easily be used in the medical field in order to save lives. These spells are labelled by people who dictate what magic should be. Magic in its purest sense, is just that, magic. I've been an Auror for decades already, and I do not see myself retiring anytime soon. For me, power is the true darkness._

He closed the book afterwards. Was Moody right? Was magic not inherently good or evil? Voldemort had once told him that there was no good or evil, there was only power. Yet Moody claimed that power was the real evil. He sat there for a while, contemplating what side was truly right. Moody wasn't exactly what you'd call a light wizard. Nor was he dark. He threaded the line between both, he was grey.

Harry had heard about the grey or neutrals. Most only entered combat whenever it was truly necessary. As he thought about it, most Aurors had to be fair and impartial when it came to fighting. He sighed to himself as he re-read the page, trying to think of what his father and Sirius were like as Aurors.

 **-HS-**

Sirius watched his godson walk into the classroom, relaxing against his desk. He noticed that Harry's face seem to be in deep thought. "Problem pup?" He asked softly, sitting up properly.

Harry sat down on one of the desks, shrugging. "What was being an Auror like?" He asked curiously.

Sirius chuckled. "One of my favourite jobs." He said softly, boiling a kettle with magic. "Well, the training was hell. It was six intense months back then since we were being sent directly into battle. It would be teams of four. James, Rachel, Moody and I were in a team together. I was Moody's protege, while James was sort of Rachel's protege." He smiled fondly. "We became one coherent team that worked well together. When it came time for your dad to go into hiding…things began to fall apart." He shrugged himself for a moment. "The training was the intense part though. For instance, when we were in training, we had to learn how to use lethal spells for the first time in our lives. And that was not a nice feeling, Harry. The fact was, James and I had never really understood that we would have to take someone's life while fighting Death Eaters."

Harry frowned. "Moody's book said that magic itself is neither good nor bad."

Sirius chuckled. "Of course. The power of magic itself is the true evil, not the ability of the person who uses it." He crossed his legs. "Moody once asked James and I to meditate for an entire day." He smirked. "It worked out well for us, once we understood why it had to happen."

Harry nodded a little. "Thanks." He smiled, leaving the room. "Also, I need an extension on my essay."

"No dice. First thing on Monday morning!" Sirius shouted after him. "That kid's becoming too much like James. I'm so proud."

 **-HS-**

Harry sat on one of the meditative cushions that Jarvis had placed in the calm room. It was a relaxing place to head if you needed to just chill out and let the world pass you by. He had some candles lighting and calming music playing as he began to close his eyes. He took deep breaths, allowing his mind to go black. He didn't know why he decided to try Moody's meditating technique, but maybe it would hold the answer to everything he was looking for.

He didn't realise how much a meditative session would affect his magic. He could practically feel his magic surrounding him, penetrating his core and emitting shining pillars of light around him. He opened his eyes, noticing a large empty room. He walked around it a little, noticing that his body was behind him, still in the same cross legged position.

He understood now, he had made his way to the desk in the centre. It was a small book that simply had the word 'Harry' on it. He opened it, noticing each page had pictures of him from his life. Some of them were ones he had never seen. His father holding him. Rachel singing to him. His mother and father holding him in a hospital setting. He blinked a little. Was this the book of his life? His memories? He continued to flick through it, seeing the darker parts of his life. The Dursleys seemed to feature prominently until he finally reached the Hogwarts section. He smiled a little to himself, looking at pictures of him and his friends in their first year. He closed his eyes once he reached the present part of the book.

He turned his head, opening his eyes to a strange home. He walked up to it, checking the lock. The strange thing was the door wasn't locked. He walked in, glancing around the unusually familiar setting. He walked into the sitting room, stopping in his tracks. Lily was sitting on the sofa, holding a small baby boy who was laughing at his father, who was blowing bubbles from his wand. He couldn't believe it, he was in his old house.

He watched as his parents just played games with his younger self and acted like a couple would. It broke his heart to watch the scene, knowing that he would never see his parents together again. He could feel the love coming from the room, pulsating around him. His tears began to slowly fall, watching the way his parents interacted. He sat on the ground, watching the scene change before his eyes. It was the Penthouse now. He frowned until he saw an older version of Hermione, who was fixing lunch for a young child.

" _Come on, Rose. You know you need to eat your vegetables."_ Hermione said softly to the child.

" _I don't like peas!"_ The child argued.

Harry watched an older version of himself walk out. " _Listen to your mother, Rosie."_ The older Harry said softly.

Harry closed his eyes again. He knew what this was. It was his idea of a dream. He stood up, walking out of the house. He just rambled around the area, trying to return his emotion in check. He stopped at his body, smiling a little. He sat across from it, just staring at himself. "How do I find the answer?" He asked the thin air.

" _You could try not thinking about it."_ His body responded.

"Whoa!" Harry jumped back. "How are you able to talk? I'm not in there…"

His body chuckled. " _You and I are one, soul."_ He reminded him. " _We are symbiotic. Without you, I cannot flourish. And without me, you cannot articulate yourself."_

Harry nodded. "How can I think about it though? Ever since I learnt about magic, I was told there was good and evil magic."

" _You do realise good and evil are stupid ideals, right?"_ His body asked back. " _I mean really. We're taught from a young age that one exists and one shouldn't. Balance doesn't work that way, Harry."_ It stood up, stretching a little. _You and I are perfect examples of that. You have never ended a life, yet I have. It was my hand that ended Quirrell. My hand that stabbed the sword through the Basilisk."_

"But it was my idea to kill Sirius." Harry frowned.

" _Logistics. And it was a justifiable anger, Harry."_ His body explained. " _If someone was to hurt our Mione, would you hesitate to kill them? Or Ron? Mr. Jarvis? Maria?"_

Harry thought about it. He hadn't realised how much his support base had grown. "I'd kill for any of them. Hell, I'd kill for J.A.R.V.I.S…he's helped me so much."

" _Exactly. Yet most people will claim you evil for that."_ His body reminded him. " _Good and evil are the same, Harry. They're both just ideals."_ It sat back down. " _The answer you seek is within us."_

Harry nodded, holding the hand of his body. He shook immediately, opening his eyes to find he was back in the room. He panted for a moment, standing up quickly. That had been insane. Did it really happen? He glanced at the clock. He had been meditating for nearly a half a day. He walked out of the room, heading towards the kitchen of the makeshift house. He saw Mr. Jarvis sitting with a cup of tea. "Welcome back Jarvis." He said softly.

Jarvis smiled at the young man. "Thank you, sir. And how has your weekend been?" He asked curiously.

Harry shrugged, thinking of what had just happened. "The usual." He sat across from him, yawning a little. "Just been meditating a little."

Jarvis nodded, taking a small sip of his tea. "Good for the mind." He said softly, messing with the spoon. He had a worried look on his face. Of course he always did after visiting Peggy.

"Are you ok?" Harry asked softly.

Jarvis looked up at him. "I visited an old friend when I was in Washington. She and I had many adventures together when we were in New York and Los Angeles." He chuckled softly. "She put up with a bored butler who just wanted to have a little fun in life." He smiled sadly. "Now, she lays in a hospital bed with no idea what year it is most days." He sniffled a little, taking a sip of his tea again. "Miss Carter, as I knew her at the time, was probably the only female I know that Howard Stark respected."

Harry chuckled a little. He had heard tales of the legendary playboy known as Howard Stark. The man seemed to be what Tony was before the Iron Man suits came into play. "She must be some woman for the likes of Howard to respect her." He poured himself some tea. "Why don't you just try the serum Howard used on you?"

Jarvis shook his head. "The serum was incomplete. The only viable sample that still exists is hidden within one of Howard's fifty vaults, which I may add, are scattered throughout the Americas and Europe." He sipped his tea. "I know of one vault that it could be hidden within, but it's currently in the ocean."

Harry thought for a moment. "Why don't you just have Tony use one of his suits? I'm pretty sure the new Mark VIII can make its way through aquatic areas."

Jarvis smiled. "No. You see, Tony doesn't know the exact circumstances of the formula that allowed me to de-age." He closed the door, lifting the table with one hand.

Harry watched in amazement. "How much?"

"A tenth of the strength owned by Captain America. Enough to keep me nimble, not enough to extend my life force. The serum only works as long as I do not exert myself too much."

Harry frowned for a second. "Your metabolism." He said softly. "If you exert the energy within your bloodstream too much…it breaks down. The serum is an enzyme."

Jarvis nodded. "Howard's version of it was. We didn't know what we were doing. Some of the best minds in Stark Industries worked on the second version of the Super Soldier Serum, most of them worked night and day to complete the serum…I chose to be the test subject." He explained, pacing around. He chuckled a little after a few minutes, sighing to himself. "For a couple of years afterwards I became one of S.H.I.E.L.D's top directors and a member of Peggy's strike team. That was the best time in my life, Harry. For once, I stopped being the idiotic comedic relief butler. I became something else. A true member of a team. I miss those days." He admitted, sitting back down.

Harry took a small sip of his tea. "What's the Magical Avengers Initiative? And why do they have a file on me?"

Jarvis smiled sadly. "Fury has plans for a new strike team. Made up of humans and superhumans alike. Known simply as the Avengers Initiative, he hasn't had the chance to get the project off the ground. So he created a new form of the idea, for use in the Magical World. He wants your expertise in Technomancy as well as your ability to gather people to your flag." He relaxed on his chair, tapping the table lightly.

Harry thought about what had been said. Fury wanted him to run a team? "What benefits are there in it for me, Jarvis? Is it worth risking my life for it?"

Jarvis took a deep breath. "I was part of what you could call a prototype of the Avengers. There was me, Agent Carter, Duggan and a vampire hybrid known only as Blade." He chuckled slightly. "We were not a cohesive team. Blade was a loner, and had trouble fitting in with the group. Dum Dum and Peggy had problems fitting in with the idea of working in new forms of shadows. And as for me, I couldn't imagine working with such trained people. I felt insignificant with the rest of them. This was before the Super Soldier Serum was placed within my veins. We lasted five years. It book the death of Blade to separate us." He closed his eyes. "Blade was the only one who understood how the world truly worked. He understood the danger of walking between worlds. He had a foot in both worlds, just like you do."

"That didn't answer my question." Harry said softly.

"Because it is not a question I can answer." Jarvis handed him the files. "Two people earmarked for the program alongside you. Study them well."

Harry nodded. "What was your codename?" He asked curiously.

"British Brigadier. It was Peggy's idea." He laughed. "The woman had such a drool such of humour…"

Harry smiled. "What was your team like?"

Jarvis smiled. "I can tell you a story."

 **-Flashback: 1971 - Oregon.-**

"Right." Dum Dum called out, fixing his bowler hat. "Here's the plan. We've two members of the New Arena Club hiding out somewhere in the area. Blade, you take recon around the building."

Blade frowned a little. "I've better things to do with my time than to scout out a damn location when I can do it a lot faster like this." He sniffed the air. "Fifty people inside. Five women, forty-four men. The other is something different. A vampire by the smell of him. I'll take on the vampire. Human's are no fun to fight."

Peggy sighed. "Great. Now we've that to bloody deal with. Change of plans, Duggan. Blade, you take on the vampire. Brigadier and I will take out the men." She smirked at Dum Dum. "And you get to put that charm to works on the ladies."

Dum Dum laughed. "Peg, ya know me so well." He cocked his guns. "Alright, so the S.S.R needs these ones alive."

Peggy rolled her eyes. "We're known as S.H.I.E.L.D now, Duggan." She shook her head for a moment. "Right, we need to work on the entry positions. Brigadier, you'll smash the door down and allow myself and Dum Dum to charge towards our positions. Blade," She stared at the large man. "You go and hunt the vampire. If we're right, this could be the last of the Vampire/Arena Club coalition."

Blade simply grunted, unsheathing his blades. "I'll meet you back in the air hangar." He walked ahead of the three of them, jumping up to one of the open windows.

Brigadier chuckled slightly. "He is an odd fellow, isn't he?" He asked, making his way towards the building with the two of them. "Are the two of you ready?" He flexed his arms, preparing to destroy the door.

"Ready when you are, Limey." Dum Dum nodded, adjusting his hat. "Peg? Ready to kick some ass?"

Peggy glanced at him. "Indeed I am, cowboy." She cracked her knuckles, taking a deep breath. "Now!" She ordered.

Brigadier kicked the door in, moving alongside Carter. The two began to fight against several of the Arena Club henchmen. He grabbed two men, tossing them towards another five. He felt alive when he was fighting, it was something that allowed him great strength and power. He walked to the main room with Peggy. "Do you see him here?" He asked, holding his two stun batons.

Peggy shook her head. "Next floor." She said softly.

Brigadier nodded, grabbing his guns. "Agent, why don't we just get Blade to sniff him out?"

"Blade's not an animal, BB." Peggy knelt down, sneaking around the corner. "Clear." She whispered. "Blade already distrusts humans as it is, Jarvis. Do we really want to push him away further?"

Jarvis nodded his head slightly. "Ok. God, I'm not as young as I used to be, Miss Carter." He laughed weakly, moving towards the next room.

Peggy smirked a little. "We're both getting on now, Jarvis." She reminded him. "I'm going to be fifty soon." She clicked her guns. "And I have a married name you know."

"You'll always be Miss Carter to me, Peg." He fixed his hood. "Now, shall we kick some arse?"

Peggy smiled to him. "Let's." She kicked in the door, kicking ass with him.

The two began to fight against the men, kicking and punching their way to the centre of the room. Both were slightly out of breath once they reached the middle of the room. Brigadier was gripping his chest in exhaustion while Agent Carter held two guns out to try and give her a bit of an edge. Both couldn't believe how much they had changed in the last decade or so. Their stamina was barely a fifth of what it once was, while she could feel her back starting to seize up on her.

As they began to size up the final member of the Arena Club, the glassing ceiling above shattered into a million shards, revealing Blade and the other vampire. The two were engaged in a fist fight, which wasn't exactly normal for someone like Blade. He would always battle with his swords. He swung a right punch to the other vampire's jaw, ducking as the creature tried to stake him. "Get the AC and run!" Blade ordered them.

"We're not leaving you, Blade." Peggy snapped.

Blade laughed slightly. "Peg, I'm already fucking dead." He let his glasses fall, showing blood leaking from his eyes. "This is the one, the one who's been destroying the nests. The one that stopped the vegetarians from converting more of my kind." He smiled to her. "Go, and get the Dum Dum and Jarvis out of here too. Peggy, good luck." He grabbed one of his swords, beheading the creature before destroying the vampire's heart.

Peggy ran over to him. "Are you ok?"

Blade fell to his knees, smiling sadly. "I'm done, Peg." He whispered, falling to the ground. "My body will decay quickly once I die." He handed her the swords. "Crafted by the noble warriors. Keep them in S.H.I.E.L.D's vault." He put his glasses on her. "As for those, keep those safe for me." He chuckled weakly, closing his eyes.

"Blade? BLADE?" Peggy checked his heartbeat. "H-He's gone…"

 **-End Flashback-**

Jarvis sighed. "After that, we brought the last of the Arena Club to trial and decided to give up the team. Dum Dum decided to completely retire, he lives someone in Texas now. Peggy decided to take up the role of Director, as did I. I served S.H.I.E.L.D as a Director for about a decade, then I retired back to serving Howard."

Harry looked at him. "Are Blade's swords still in S.H.I.E.L.D's vault?"

Jarvis nodded. "They are. Sheaths and all."

Harry smiled a little. "J.A.R.V.I.S, contact Fury and tell him I need the weapons of Blade." He ordered the system.

" _Of course, sir."_ J.A.R.V.I.S responded.

Jarvis laughed slightly. "I'm beginning to like him doing the grunt work."

" _You mean the jobs you're too decrepit to do anymore?"_ J.A.R.V.I.S inquired.

Harry burst out laughing. "Play nice boys." He went to his bedroom, hoping to get some sleep now.


	16. Potter Manor

**Chapter Fifteen: Potter Manor**

Harry studied the two files that Jarvis had given him for the fifth time. "J.A.R.V.I.S, who are the X-Men?" He asked curiously, studying the Nightcrawler file.

" _The X-Men are a group of genetic mutants, sir. They're known to operate as a Mutant Rights organisation who work to bring Mutants to the same rights as humans. Their leader, one Charles Xavier is a well known advocate for Mutant Rights and often gives talks in Cambridge University and Harvard whenever it strikes his fancy."_ J.A.R.V.I.S explained. " _S.H.I.E.L.D has several files on the members of the X-Men. The one you're currently reading is one of two potential candidates for the M.A.I, sir."_

"Who's the second?" Harry asked curiously, fixing his glasses back in place.

" _Catherine 'Kitty' Pryde. Known to the X-Men as Shadowcat."_ J.A.R.V.I.S explained. " _Her mutant genes allow her to phase her molecules through any solid surface. She has problems with the X-Men due to her age. She is the same age as Mr. Wagner and is often overlooked as the runt of the group."_

Harry nodded, closing the file on Wagner for a moment. "On to the other main business. Has the equipment arrived yet?" He asked curiously.

" _All the items requested have been placed within the studio for you. I've also sent the e-mails towards the people who are requested."_

"J, you're the best." Harry smiled.

" _I know, sir."_

Harry made his way towards the room, seeing Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas sitting there. "Thanks for coming lads. I overheard you one time saying you both played instruments." He sat across from them. "I'm sure you've heard about the Yule Ball by now?"

Both shook their heads.

"There's a ball coming up, but you didn't hear it from me." He winked slightly. "Now, I have a plan for the ball, but I need a bassist and a guitarist."

Dean glanced at the expensive guitar sitting close to his face. "I'm supposed to play that? It's probably worth more than my house."

"It's a loaner." Harry explained. "The owner's not going to miss it for a couple of months now." He said softly. He smiled a little. "I want you two to help me out with all of this." He handed them the song he had been working on.

Seamus took a look at the song. "Easy enough to play, but we'll need a drummer, Harry." He said softly. "I can play bass as good as anyone, but I don't know anyone who can bloody drum."

Harry smirked. "I've got someone who can help, but he's going to be running late for this. If you both agree to help with this, I'm offering to pay for your help." He explained.

Dean glanced at the guitar. "Is the owner who I think it is?" He asked.

Harry nodded. "Cost me a pretty penny for the rental rights."

"Can you set up a meet?" He asked.

"Sure." Harry shrugged.

"That's payment enough for me." Dean grinned, taking the guitar in his hands. He began to play the first few cords, getting the rhythm once he felt comfortable. He glanced at Seamus. "We haven't had a chance to properly play since last summer. It could be fun."

Seamus took the bass in his hand, gently strumming the first few chords and notes of the song. "Fuck it, I'm in." He grinned a little. "As for payment, I'll take me pick of the groupies." He winked.

Harry smiled a little, glancing around at the room. "We can practice for an hour or so here everyday if that's ok with the two of you. As for playing in the Yule Ball, it's going to be a little complicated…"

Seamus smiled. "I like the sound of complicated." He stood up, nodding to Dean. "It'll take us a week or two to get used to playing. When does the drummer get here?" He asked curiously.

Ron entered the room, twirling two drumsticks in his hands. "What? Muggles aren't the only ones with instruments you know. Dad bought Percy a drum kit one year, he never used it. I used to play with it all the time."

"Now all we need is a vocalist." Seamus shrugged.

"Actually…" Harry rubbed the back of his head. "That'd be my job." He chuckled weakly.

"No way. Let's hear you sing then." Dean said softly.

"Ok." Harry took a deep breath. He began to sing softly, reciting the first couple of lines of the song he was working on.

Dean nodded. "Sounds good." He grinned. He began strumming as Harry repeated the same line. "We'll need a band name."

Harry grinned. "We're the Stags." He said simply. "And if this works out, then we'll have a good time at the Yule Ball." The three of them began to work on the progression of the song for the hour, which was a nice distraction for everyone in the room. The atmosphere was nice and relaxed, and Harry felt more relaxed with his singing the further they went. By the time the hour ended, the four were already planning tomorrow's session.

 **-HS-**

The weeks started to move quickly for the trio. Sirius had decided to give them a surprise test, which consisted of everything that he had taught them in the last two months. The test itself wasn't the most difficult thing in the world. In fact, most of it was pretty basic stuff and the test had been kind of fun for the three to relax before the Christmas break. The Stags were working everyday on their music and they had their plan for playing at the Yule Ball.

Harry had spent more time working on metals for the Gauntlet, which was still in the prototype and was actively waiting on the swords once used by Blade to arrive. He tapped some buttons on the control panel, scanning the metals found around the castle. "Anything, J?"

J.A.R.V.I.S had been scanning the materials, analysing their base properties and weights. " _Out of all the metals presented to us, only one can be of help. The metals used in the Sword of Gryffindor are able to take in that which should destroy it and is relatively light for a metal of its form."_

Harry fixed his glasses in place, reading the report. "If my memory's right, it's made of Goblin steel. Not an easy thing to come by and not something they've been known to sell to people…"

Jarvis had been listening to him, smirking to himself. "Howard Stark had a saying, Mr. Potter. There's no such thing as not for sale, just things that cost more than other things. And that man owned some very risque things." He checked the metals list. "Ah, I see. It's composit and weight would be perfect for the Gauntlet. Is there a way to negotiate with these, goblins?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. My dealings with them have been limited." He turned to the butler. "Sirius told me that they can be honourable when needed, but distrust humans greatly because of increasingly unfair and discriminatory laws against their race." He sipped his tea. "Merlin, I've become spoiled because of you, Mr. Jarvis. No one else knows how to make a bloody good cup of tea."

Jarvis chuckled a little. "The secret is in the honey." He explained. "Now, onto the current business. These goblins are bankers, right?"

Harry nodded. "They founded Gringotts bank back in 1454 by the goblin of which it's named. It was under Ministry control from the 1500s until the mid 19th century." He rubbed his forehead. "They've been known for allowing guards to dress in full military garb and hire humans as Curse Breakers and other jobs that require a channeler to do."

"Channeler?" Jarvis asked curiously. His knowledge of anything magical was extremely limited. Most of it was vampire based thanks to his deceased friend.

"Sorry. Magic users come under three different classes. Channelers, or wand holders are on the top of the list. They're wizards and some Veela. We tend to use a channeling item, such as wands, staffs and in my case, the Gauntlet. Then you have the Naturals. They are magical beings who have learnt to control their magic with no channeling power. House-elves are the most common known of this class, though High Elves and some Dark Elves have been known to still exist. Some humans are able to use this power as well, but the only one I know about at the moment is Dumbledore. Then, you have the Restricted." He explained. "The Restricted Ones are beings who cannot access their magic without a channeling item. These are Goblins, Hags, Vampires and other creatures. They are the bottom of magical society, unfortunately. All of them are highly restricted around magical objects. Gringotts is by law, not allowed to store wands within its wall. They're also restricted around magical blood."

Jarvis stared at him. "You know your history. I applaud you."

"I'm still continuing my lessons with Sirius, Jarvis. I need to know as much as possible for my Lordship test." Harry finished his tea. "Now, as for the Goblins, I'll see if I can't get them to sell me some of the metal."

Jarvis nodded. "I'll prepare a light lunch for you, sir. I know you shan't be leaving the lab for the rest for the day." He remarked lightly.

Harry smirked a little. "I repeat myself, you've spoiled me, Jarvis."

Jarvis smiled a little, heading towards the kitchen. He watched Lily play around with the salt and pepper shakers. "What's got you down, ma'am?"

Lily sighed. "I don't know what to get Harry for Christmas." She admitted. "Nearly six months since I found him, and I still haven't a monkeys what to buy him." She glanced over at the frying pan. "What's for lunch?"

Jarvis smiled. "I'm making Mr. Potter a chicken salsa quesadilla. Mr. Stark has requested gluten free waffles with syrup. Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley have opted out of lunch. What would you like?"

Lily frowned. "Jarvis, don't over encumber yourself like that." She whispered.

Jarvis chuckled. "I love to work, Mrs. Stark." He reminded her. He chopped the chicken pieces and added them into a pan with some onions, tomatoes and cilantro. "Lily, I know you don't approve of me working at my age, but I still have enough energy to do my duty for years to come." He assured her. "Now, pad thai or a burrito?"

"Pad thai." Lily sighed, finally relenting. "I hope I've a tenth of your energy at your age, Jarvis."

Jarvis smiled, turning to her. "I'm sure you shall, Lily." He chopped some extra cilantro. "So, why don't you just ask Harry what he wants?" He asked simply.

Lily sighed. "Because I want to surprise him with something. I would buy him a broom, but Sirius got him the best broom on the market." She messed with salt shaker more. "I just want to get him something he'll love."

Jarvis glanced at her for a moment. "I see." He took the pepper shaker, grinding some pepper into Harry's chicken. "In all honesty, it seems that Harry isn't the type that really bothers with presents as a thing. I believe just having you around for Christmas will make him feel happier than anything."

Lily considered his words for a few minutes. "Yeah." She thought about different things that she could at least get. It wasn't about the materialistic part of Christmas, it was just to show that she cared about him. She'd have to have a talk with Sirius about it. Tony's input would be needed too, but he was going to suggest something insane. She sipped her tea, smelling the food. "Jarvis, how is it you can cook like a five star chef, and I burn corn flakes?"

"I assume that your late husband was the chef?" He chuckled.

"No." Lily shook her head. "We had a House-Elf." She explained. "Well, he belonged to James' father. I doubt he's still alive. He was ancient when we were teens." She felt a smile tug on her lips. "It would've been nice to see him one last time. Dear old Damocles."

As soon as the name left her lips a loud popping deafened the two of them as an elderly House-Elf appeared before them. "Mistress Lily called for Damocles. Damocles is so happy to see his Mistress alive." The gravelly sound that left the elf's mouth made it seem like he had spoken since James' death, which was definitely a possibility.

Lily couldn't believe it. He still had his little tuxedo style dress robes in pristine condition. She moved closer to him. "Damocles..?" She gently wrapped her arms around the old elf. "I can't believe you're still…" She felt tears slip down her cheeks. "Damocles, please tell me you know about James..?"

The elderly elf nodded. "Master's bond severed when he died. Damocles couldn't feel Mistress. Mistress never completed her bond with Damocles. Young Master Harry? Is he alive?"

Lily sniffled. "Yes. James died to protect him. So did Rachel."

Damocles lowered his head. "May their souls find solace in the next life…" He closed his eyes. "Mistress, why have you waited so long to call Damocles?"

Lily sighed. "I…" She frowned. "Damocles, why are you talking like that?" She asked softly. Damocles never acted like a normal House-Elf. Charlus had instructed him on how to speak like a perfect human. She had never heard him speak like that in her life.

Damocles stared at her. "Most humans don't like House-Elves speaking like them." He reminded her, nudging his head towards Jarvis.

"Damocles, Jarvis is my new husband's butler." Lily explained.

Damocles' eyes hardened. "Mistress, you have disgraced yourself by using human help?" He seemed offended by the thought of someone else serving his Mistress. "Mistress, I would be honoured to continue my duties. Where is Master Harry?"

Lily smiled at the little elf. "Mr. Jarvis, please fetch Harry from the lab. He should meet Damocles."

Jarvis nodded, leaving the room. "As if the floppy disk wasn't bad enough." He muttered under his breath.

Lily sat down, motioning for Damocles to sit across from her. "What state is the Manor in?" She asked politely.

Damocles took his seat. "Most of the Eastern Wing was destroyed when Charlus and Dorea were murdered." He said sadly. "The staff and I spent the better part of a decade repairing it. The staff has dwindled from thirty elves to fifteen. Most left when they felt James' life end." He closed his eyes. "Traitors, the lot of them!" He said angrily. "The other members of staff have been waiting for Master Harry to come of age. His home is ready for him to live in."

Harry walked in at the last statement, frowning. "I have a house? I have staff?" He asked curiously, staring at the elf for a moment. "Hello."

Damocles moved from his seat, bowing to Harry. "Master Harry, how you've grown since I last saw you." He smiled.

Harry felt immediately uncomfortable. It was bad enough whenever Dobby would sing his praises. "Yes, well I must have been a baby back then…" He chuckled nervously. "H-How many elves..?" He regretted asking, but he had to know.

"Sixteen, sir. Fifteen others and myself." Damocles responded, staring at him. "Would I be right in assuming that the young Master has a lady friend who doesn't understand the drive of House-Elves?" He turned to Lily. "History certainly does repeat itself." He commented, his voice full of humour.

"Hermione's going to skin me." Harry ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "She's already had a wobbler with Dumbledore over the castle's elves." He paced a little. "How big is the house?"

"Potter Manor sits on ten hectares of land, Master Harry." Damocles watched as the young man went pale. "Do not worry, we have a good gardener" He chuckled.

Harry gulped. The Quidditch pitch was about a half hectare, which meant he had a lot of land. "How big's the bloody house?!"

"Manor." Damocles corrected him. "Potter Manor is a three story manor home with fifty bedrooms." He calmly spoke to the freaked out teen. "It was erected in 1785 by your great-great-great grandfather, Hadrian Potter. At the time your ancestors were a larger family."

Harry frowned. "What happened then?" He asked.

Damocles closed his eyes. "The Purge." Was all he said. "Many moons ago, the Order of the Cross began a slaughter of prominent families in England, France, Germany and Spain. The decade long purge killed nearly a thousand magical families. The Potters, which was a large dynasty, was reduced to a few. Your great grandfather was only a baby at the time, and the only one of fifteen siblings to survive. His mother, grandparents and all his aunts and uncles, killed by the Order of the Cross. His father, who shared your name, fled until the Purge ended. When he returned to England, he tried to avenge his family. He managed to dissolve the Order by killing their Leader. After that, he simply raised his son and tried to rebuild the family."

Harry listened closely to what the elf told him, feeling a stabbing pain in his chest. "H-How many siblings did my great grandfather have?"

"He lost six sisters and five brothers…" Damocles whispered. "When Master James fell, I feared you too were dead, and that the line I have served for three generations had ended." He looked into Harry's eyes. "But you survive, and we are here to serve you, Master."

Harry listened to the way Damocles spoke. "I've never heard an elf speak properly before. Did my grandfather do that?" He heard the elf mention three generations, which meant he started working for Charlus.

Damocles nodded. "And I in turn have trained the rest of the staff." He smiled. "Now, Master should return to his work and let his faithful elf do as he must." He chuckled lightly.

Harry returned to the lab, rubbing his forehead. "Fifty bedrooms. I could make one helluva lab in that place." He mused, relaxing against the chair. He started working on some of his analyses of Blade's swords. The blades were Goblin metal too. It made sense to him, Blade had vampire blood. He scanned the materials of the sword into his database. "J.A.R.V.I.S, can you give me a reading on the design of the blades?"

" _Of course, sir. The blades seem to be only plated with the metal. The internals of the blades are specially designed for Blade. The metal within is coated in Aconite oil and dipped in rose water before being plated in the steel."_

Harry fixed his glasses into place. "Wow. He got them custom ordered." He picked the blades up, swiping them towards the random air. He could appreciate the use of a weapon like the blades. He placed them back on the scanning area, moving towards the next room of his lab. He tapped several buttons on the control panel, fixing his glasses as they began to work on a way to implement the new metals into the gauntlet.

"It'll be perfect." Harry muttered, smiling to himself.

 **A/N: So I'm back. What? No one cared I took so long? People have lives? I'm no one special? Ok…**

 **In all seriousness, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. I hit a massive block with this chapter. I want the Yule Ball to be perfect and I was having serious problems finding a song that the owners allowed use of lyrics. I think I have the perfect one now that's allowed to be copied, so I should have the next chapter out soon. I would also like to say that Fallout 4 is a black hole that sucks you in until you literally dream about the game.**


	17. Yule Ball

**Just so everyone knows, I am aware that Pottermore recently enough released the Potter Family Tree. I am well aware that Fleamont Potter is Harry's grandfather. I'm just used to using Charlus. I'd also like to thank the AmaLee Youtube channel for allowing me to use their song cover of Again. Please check it out when you have the chance.**

 **Chapter Sixteen: Merry Christmas**

Harry knew that it was going to be a different holiday season. For one, once the Yule Ball was finished, they were leaving to the Penthouse for the rest of the holiday. He had his mother to celebrate with. He had a girlfriend to celebrate with, and her parents had been invited over for Boxing Day. He walked through Hogsmeade, hiding under the cloak to avoid his friends and girlfriend. "First stop, the Post Office." He walked in, shedding the cloak before approaching the person behind the desk. "Hello, I understand you sell Quidditch tickets?"

The man nodded. "May I ask which matches you need tickets for?"

"Anything that includes the Chudley Cannons over the summer season." Harry responded.

The man chuckled a little, printing the tickets. "There's better things to blow your money on, son." He handed the tickets to Harry.

Harry smiled a little, handing over the money. He walked out, moving to the next place on the list. The small antique shop had a lovely selection of British and world antiques for him to choose from. "Excuse me, ma'am. I'm looking for something specific. You wouldn't happen to have an early 40s radio, would you?" He asked politely.

The woman checked the back. "Here we are, muggle model 1941." She placed it on the table. "A curious thing to buy, young man." She said softly. She rang it up on the register. "That'll be five galleons and fifteen sickles." She smiled, taking the money from him and handing him some change. "So, is there anything else you require?"

Harry shook his head, taking the bag with a smile. "Thank you very much ma'am." He moved towards the next shop on his list, seeing something odd in the window. "J.A.R.V.I.S, you picking this up?" He asked, scanning the object with the small scanner he implemented into his glasses.

" _Indeed, sir. The object is releasing large amounts of kinetic energy. I cannot fathom a reason for such a thing being in a store."_

Harry walked into the shop, grabbing the object and bringing it to the young woman at the counter. "Sorry, how much for this, ma'am?" He asked as calmly as he could. If the readings were right, this small orb had enough energy to completely destroy the surrounding area in an instant.

"That? It's five sickles." She waved him off. "Take it. It's just cluttering up the shop. Some weirdo in a mask brought in it and told me to keep it safe. Then he said something about chimps and walked away." She shrugged. "I put the 'No Drunks' sign on the door soon after that."

Harry placed the orb in a small case he brought with him, walking back towards the castle. "J.A.R.V.I.S, I need a specialised canister to examine the power of this. Can you define a point of origin?"

" _The markings aren't from any known society in S.H.I.E.L.D's database, sir. However, I scanned the Hogwarts catalogues and discovered similar markings from ancient magical tribals in the forests of Peru. Mr. Stark's personal database also holds several items with similar markings. It seems his father spent some time there in the days of the S.S.R."_

Harry clicked the button on his watch to enter his lab, locking it behind him. "Contact Tony, I'm going to need some serious help with this one."

" _Mr. Stark has been contacted."_

Harry nodded, activating the gyro chair. "Perfect." He tapped the control panel, moving towards the orb. "It's crystal." He noted, fixing his glasses in place. He tapped the side of them, activating the energy scanner again. "J.A.R.V.I.S, what notes did Howard have on these markings?"

" _Loading the archive. Howard Stark went on an exhibition of the area while in search of an old colleague. The markings belonged to a society that until forty years ago, was considered lost to history. They found markings similar to the ones on the orb."_

Harry sighed. "Why can't I ever just have a normal day?"

The door opened as he sighed. "Because you're weird." He grabbed the orb, twirling it around. "Huh, haven't seen one of these in decades." He placed it back down. "You found a nice piece of xenometal there, kid."

"Xenometal..?" Harry frowned. "It's crystal! Don't drop it either, you'll blow us all up."

Tony smirked, tossing it towards the wall. It rebounded into his hand. "Dad called it Laylarn. It's an alien metal, mass produced somewhere. This is essentially a space mine." He explained. "Probably crashed here years ago. When it hits an oxidised atmosphere, it hardens to the point of indestructibility. Bring it to the stratosphere though, it'd literally turn to dust and explode from a speck of dust."

Harry had jumped under the table the second the orb was flung. "ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?!" He shouted, gripping his chest. "Seriously?!" He took it from him. "What planet is it from?"

"Xero 1. It's about 25 lightyears from here." Tony walked over to the control panel. "The Stark Explorer is scheduled to launch in a few months. She'll hopefully be breaking lightspeed for the human race."

"So wait…aliens are real..?" Harry asked, gulping a little.

"Yeah." Tony shrugged. "Dad found evidence years ago. Even found proof of life on nine systems. Didn't bother after that."

"Why not?"

" _He died in a car crash."_ J.A.R.V.I.S explained.

Harry held the orb out. "How far can the Stark Explorer go?" He asked curiously.

" _If our estimations and equations are correct, the Stark Explorer could go as far as 100 lightyears. However, we do have to take in unexplainable events."_

Tony took the orb from him. "I'll bring this to S.H.I.E.L.D, they'll keep it safe." He winked. "Also, if you need some new pants, there should be some here." He chuckled softly.

Harry flipped him off. "J.A.R.V.I.S, I want you to ensure nothing like that is around here. Scan the entire area using the Howard satellite."

" _Consider it done."_ J.A.R.V.I.S responded.

Harry nodded, finally catching his breath. He took out a bottle of water, sipping it slowly. "How could my mother fall for someone with such low regards for his own personal safety?"

" _Well, she did marry a Potter."_ J.A.R.V.I.S pointed out.

"Fair enough." He shook his head.

 **-HS-**

Lily grinned a little as she began to place the decorations up in the temporary home on the Hogwarts Grounds. She sang along with the song on the radio, hearing footsteps. "You better have those candy canes, Mr. Stark."

Tony smiled. "I don't think I've ever seen you this happy to celebrate Christmas before." He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her cheek. "I've gotten everything set up." He whispered softly.

Lily's eyes lit up. "Really?" She asked, turning to him with a hopeful gaze. "James and I were going to do this the Christmas…" She stopped herself.

"I know." He kissed her forehead. "Now, let's get this tree finished." He grabbed some of the candy canes, placing one on the tree.

Lily smiled, helping him as they sang along to the song. "This is all surreal." She whispered. "For once, I'm actually looking forward to Christmas. A chance to actually be happy around the holidays."

Tony chuckled, grabbing the star for the top of the tree. "Yeah. Jarvis is making turkey, ham and all the usual crap you Brits eat for Christmas." He teased.

"Can't beat some turkey and goose on the holidays, Yanky." Lily smirked, turning the lights on. "Besides, I eat turkey every year with you for Thanksgiving, so you're doing English Christmas."

Tony kissed her again. "I think I can make the sacrifice." He nipped her neck affectionately.

"Careful there, Mr. Stark." Lily whispered into his ear. "It's been six weeks."

Tony grinned, lifting her into his arms. "Don't I know it." He sat her on a table, kissing her passionately.

Lily moaned softly. "We can't. There's people upstairs." She reminded him, biting her lip as he rubbed her thigh.

"We'll be quiet." He promised,winking at her.

Lily let out another moan. "You bastard." She ripped his shirt off.

 **-HS-**

Harry walked out of the lab, locking it as he made his way towards the kitchen. "J.A.R.V.I.S, where did I leave the design tablet?" He asked curiously.

" _I believe it's in the living room, sir."_ J.A.R.V.I.S replied.

Harry sighed. "I need to stop leaving it near Hermione. She's forever playing around with my designs." He shook his head, trying to fix his hair. He placed his earphones in, turning towards the living room. He hit the play button, bopping his head along with the song. Most people wouldn't take him for a rock/hip-hop fan, but then again most people didn't really know him. He opened the door, freezing as he saw his mother and stepfather shagging on the table. "What the actual fuck?!" He quickly made his way out of the room, feeling a little sick.

Lily frowned, fixing her clothes on. "I told you!" She slapped Tony's arm.

Tony chuckled, putting his pants on. "Oh please, he goes to a boarding school. That is not the first time he's seen a couple going at it."

Lily was about to say something, until she remembered an extremely embarrassing moment in her second year when she heard noises from a cupboard. "I need to check on him." She buttoned her blouse, following Harry.

Harry sat down in the kitchen. "It's sights like this that I need a whiskey." He shuddered slightly.

Lily bit her lip as she entered. "You ok?" She asked softly, sitting beside him.

"I'm good." He chuckled weakly. "It's just, not a scene I ever wanted to see." He avoided her eyes.

Lily nodded, hugging him. "Walking in on parents going at it is always embarrassing. Believe me, I know." She laughed. "Think that's bad? Imagine walking in on your sister and her boyfriend."

Harry turned slightly green. "Bad image."

Lily smirked. "Of course it is. Especially when you consider it was with Vernon."

Harry visible heaved. "I think I'm going to skip dinner tonight." He gulped. "Definitely skipping it."

Lily kissed his forehead. "I'm sorry. I promise, neither of us will do anything in family areas."

Harry scrunched his nose. "How about until you're back in the Penthouse, or when Maria's eighteen?" He offered. "Or both?"

Lily chuckled, hugging him. "That sounds a little unfair." She walked to the counter, making some hot chocolate.

Harry grabbed a bag of marshmallows, shrugging. "So is walking in on, **that**." He pointed out.

Lily bit her lip. "D-Did Sirius ever give you, the talk..?" She asked curiously.

Harry gulped. "No. We um, we haven't had a chance to talk about that." He added some marshmallows to his hot chocolate, topping it with some cocoa powder. "And, I'd rather not have it now either."

Lily nodded. "Ok." She smiled, tapping the panel on the counter to play some Christmas music. "Looking forward to the Ball?"

Harry shrugged. "Sort of. Hermione and I have been dancing twice a week to prepare. Ron's going with Lavender Brown, so it should be a good night for all of us." He took a sip of his hot chocolate. "And, well I'm planning something, different."

Lily frowned. "Like what?" She asked softly.

"Just, a surprise." Harry replied softly. "Don't worry, it's nothing bad."

Lily sighed. "Ok, I'll believe you." She kissed his cheek. "Just, no streaking. And before you say anything, you are James Potter's son."

 **-HS-**

Christmas Day came around a lot faster than Harry thought it would. He groaned as he felt a slimy tongue on his face. "Sirius, I'm going to castrate you." He warned him, sitting up. He put his glasses on, seeing a small husky pup on his lap with a bow. He looked up to see his mother smiling. "You got me a dog?" He asked, scratching behind the dog's ear.

Lily watched him for a moment. "Your father wanted to get you a dog for Christmas the year you were born. I didn't think it was a good idea. He convinced me to allow it the next year…but, I never got to."

Harry nodded, lifting the dog up. He did a quick check of the gender. "So you're a male." He smiled at the dog for a moment, feeling another slimy lick on his face. "Friendly guy, aren't ya?" He chuckled.

"He needs a name. We explained he was a gift." Lily said softly. "They frowned like we were going to abandon him afterwards, but I think a dog would be a nice thing."

Harry sat the dog on his bed, staring at him. "What name should I give you?" He asked, seeing the puppy cock his head slightly. "You're an intelligent guy. Is he a pure husky?"

"No." Lily shook her head. "He's mixed with a magical wolf found in Greece." She explained. "He's got a little magic in him. The Ares Wolves are known for their loyalty and intelligence." She smiled, petting the dog's head.

Harry smiled, watching the dog hide under his blanket. "You're stealthy." He grinned. "Like a shadow."

The dog barked happily.

"Shadow?" Harry asked, watching him.

Shadow barked again, panting happily.

Harry chuckled. "Ok then, I guess you're name is Shadow." He picked him up, carrying him into the kitchen. He placed the dog down, grabbing the specialised food that was on the ground. He checked the back of it. "How much does he weigh?"

J.A.R.V.I.S beeped. " _A healthy Husky pup weighs 2-4KG."_

Harry nodded. "Ok." He poured the right amount out, putting the bowl beside Shadow with some water. "Dig in buddy."

Lily smiled at the puppy. "I'm glad you like him."

Harry smiled. "I like dogs…" His smile dropped. "Most dogs anyway…Vernon's sister breeds bulldogs."

Lily frowned. "We should talk to Narcissa and Andromeda about that." She put a plate of food in front of him, hearing the door open. "Merry Christmas!" She grinned to everyone, plating up more food.

Hermione kissed Harry's cheek, squealing a little once she noticed the small puppy. "Who owns the puppy?" She asked, sitting on the ground beside Shadow. She grinned as the puppy moved onto her lap, yawning. "Aw!"

"Shadow's mine." Harry smiled. "Mum and Tony decided Hedwig wasn't enough company when you're not around." Hedwig gave a hoot of annoyance at the puppy, noticing it staring up at her. "Play nice." He said softly, throwing some bacon up to his oldest companion.

Hermione picked up Shadow, kissing his fur. "You're a cute little boy, aren't you?" She grinned.

"Mental." Ron shook his head, taking a bite of sausage. "He's a cool little dog though, especially when he's older."

Sirius stared at the dog for a moment. "He'd make a good hunting dog. My father used to have several dogs like that for hunting deer."

"Your dad used to hunt deer?" Harry asked, aghast at the idea of someone harming such an innocent creature.

"Yeah. Your grandfather used to go duck shooting, though that was just because ol' Charlus was a crazy coot." Sirius chuckled.

"He wasn't crazy." Lily slapped his arm, pouring coffee for everyone. "Your Grandfather was a Muggle enthusiast. I can't count the amount of times that he and I used to spend days enjoying some Muggle culture."

Sirius smiled. "Remember when he and Dorea went to your mother's sixtieth?"

Lily snorted. "How can I forget? Only time my father was allowed near Firewhiskey." She sat down, eating with her family. She smiled softly. "This is perfect." She whispered.

Harry nodded, smiling softly. "Definitely."

Tony kissed her cheek. "It's only going to get better." He promised her.

 **-HS-**

After a few hours of fun and present swapping, the children went to prepare for the Yule Ball, leaving the adults sitting in the kitchen with Maria and Shadow. Lily held her daughter close, smiling gently. "So, does anyone know what Harry's planning? Sirius?"  
Sirius chuckled. "Not a clue." He admitted. "Whatever it is, he's keeping it close to the chest."

Tony rolled his eyes. "He's started a band and they're planning to jump on and perform when the band goes on break."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "And you know this how?" She asked curiously.

"Detective reasoning." Tony watched them all stare. "Ok, Harry asked me for a favour and I agreed. I got him a specialised guitar so he could get a guitarist."

"What guitar?" Jarvis asked curiously, sipping a glass of sherry.

"Well, let's say there's a whole lotta love behind it." Tony smirked.

Lily gasped. "You got him one of their guitars?"

"On loan. I was lucky he's a fan of the suits." Tony chuckled.

As the adults spoke about Harry's plan, he placed the final piece of things down before putting his dress robes on. He fixed his hair as best he could, which was a losing battle at best. He took a deep breath, fixing the final part of his hair. He gulped into the mirror. "It's just a dance, Harry. Relax." He said to himself, noticing Shadow strolling into the room. "You tired, boy?"

Shadow moved over to him, biting at his robes.

"Ok." Harry put down some Daily Prophet pages, putting a bed beside them. "You be good and don't crap on my bed." He said softly. "J.A.R.V.I.S, have one of the suits clean the room out when Shadow stinks the place up."

" _Sir, I believe Mr Stark has set up a specialised area for Shadow to use as a bathroom."_

Harry nodded. He picked Shadow up and brought him to the room. "Ok boy, I'm going to go out on a limb and say you're an intelligent pup." He knelt down to him. "When you need to go to the bathroom, come here. Afterwards you can come back to my room and sleep there, ok?"

Shadow gave him an inquisitive look.

"I'll take that as a yes." Harry scratched behind his ear, heading towards Hermione's room. Hermione walked out a minute later, making Harry's breath catch in his throat.

Her hair was done in a beautiful nest of curls, which framed her face perfectly. Her dress was a nice periwinkle blue and made her resemble a princess from an old movie. She smiled at him, kissing his cheek. "You look handsome."

Harry grinned. "You look absolutely stunning." He said softly, kissing her hand.

Hermione walked with him. "Is Ron meeting us in the Great Hall?" She asked.

"Yeah. He's meeting Lavender in the Gryffindor Common Room." Harry nodded, walking out to the castle with her. "Mum and Tony are going to be there too. Mr Jarvis is watching Maria for them."

Hermione smiled. "Sounds like a lovely end to Christmas Day for your Mum."

Harry nodded. "Yeah." He whispered, thinking of the song he wrote. As they approached the castle, they noticed McGonagall pacing around. "Uh-oh."

McGonagall sighed. "Perfect. You arrived just in the nick of time, Mr Potter. Now, you and Ms Granger must prepare."

"For what?" Harry asked, suddenly feeling nervous.

"For the Champion's dance of course!" McGonagall watched him. "No one told you, did they?" She chuckled weakly. "The three, or in this case, four Champions are the first to dance."

Harry gulped. "I see…" He held Hermione's hand, squeezing it lightly.

Hermione grinned. "We'll enter then, Professor." She walked in with him, rubbing his back a little. "Just relax." She whispered softly, walking in with the other Champions and their dates. "Harry, will you be ok with dancing?"

Harry nodded, taking her hand and placing his on her waist. "I'll be fine." He chuckled. He heard the music start and began following the dance moves they had practiced all month long. He smiled, getting lost into her eyes as they glided around the floor. Once the song ended they made their way to the table, smiling at the other occupants.

 **-HS-**

Harry went to the punch bowl, smiling at Seamus and Dean. "Ron's all set. Band's going on break in fifteen minutes to get something to drink quickly. We move then." He grabbed two glasses of punch, heading back to Hermione. He handed her a glass, sipping his. "Plan's on in fifteen." He whispered into her ear.

Hermione nodded, kissing his cheek. "Just be careful." She warned him. As soon as he left, she noticed Lily staring at her. "He had to use the restroom." She said softly.

Lily smirked. "I'm sure." She saw the band leave. "I can't believe they got the Weird Sisters." She said softly.

Hermione nodded, seeing Harry reach the stage. "Here we go." She grinned.

Harry tapped the microphone. "Hi everyone." He spoke into the mic, trying to stay calm. "Um, we're the Stags. We're not part of tonight's entertainment, but we hope you like this song." He chuckled weakly. "It's dedicated to my mother. It doesn't have a name."

Lily sat up straighter, her attention becoming fully focused on Harry.

Harry cleared his throat, hearing Dean and Seamus start. He took a deep breath, taking his cue.

I had a purpose then, pursuing the path to catalyse our dream

But it's a winding road, where you stumble and sway your way amongst the crowd

Don't get me wrong, I would never go back in time – or play God

But is there a way I could earn back that endless sky?

I can see it in your eyes

Don't give me that look – 'cause, you see

You're the last person I need to pity me

Lily listened to her son as he sang, frowning a little. Was this truly going to be how he decided to vent his anger?

Cryin' won't pave a way to forgiveness

Every sin you carve is ever lasting

I'm lost in this maze of emotion

Who am I waiting for?

Now, these once blank pages of my notebook

Become a plea to regain fallen virtue

All this time, I've been tryin to run away from my own reality

We'll live for something as soon as we find it

I've forgotten, please remind me, as day turns darkness

Lily rested her head on Tony's shoulder, listening to the true meaning of the words.

Expired chances - but we gotta make it through again

'cause there's no where else to run

There's still so much here, a life worth living

And with time you'll drown the feeling out (I'M ON THE WAY)

It's so nostalgic, maybe all the love is worth the pain

It's not a lack of pride,

But I know I'm to blame, so I apologise

Lily frowned a little. "It wasn't your fault..." She whispered sadly, thinking of James.

I don't know what to say

But I wish I could free the worry from your eyes

All we've been through and all that's yet to come

And all that we have become will remain as we roll the dice

Once more, I close my eyes from the sight

Harry closed his eyes as he sang, trying not to cry as every pent in emotion began to bubble to the top.

But it's all a futile fight, for it's all etched inside my mind

The invite of a white lie,

Some can't resist the call to join in

But still, I thought I knew you better than to give into pressure

Once fury thorns in your heart,

The fire's quick to consume you

And what comes from those ashes – is your reality

We'll live for something as soon as we find it

May we come across that future

Can you hear me? I'm screaming

Expired chances,

But we gotta make it through again

'cause there's no where else to run

It's through your kindness, I'll always be grateful

And I'll strive to become stronger (I'M ON THE WAY)

I'll carry onward, gaining friend and foe along the way

I try to make sense of why

We can't figure how to unlock the next door

We bleed on this path we lead

But we cannot turn back, cause our story's begun

Open up your eyes - Open up your eyes

There's still so much here, a life worth living

And with time I'll drown the feeling out

I need to right all my wrongs

And finish all things I've left undone

We've only just begun

We'll live for something as soon as we find it

May we come across that future

Can you hear me? I'm screaming

Expired chances - but we gotta make it through again

'cause there's no where else to run

It's through your kindness, I'll always be grateful

And I'll strive to become stronger (I'M ON THE WAY)

It's so nostalgic, maybe all the love is worth the pain

Harry panted as they finished, looking out into the crowd. He stared into his mother's eyes, seeing that she understood. The song wasn't something he wrote to condemn her, it was his way to open up, to let every angry emotion he had finally leave his body. He smiled over at her, hearing the crowd burst into applause. He turned to the others, grinning. "I think we have time for one more. The guitar my good friend is using belongs to a legend, and this is one of their best."

 **A/N: Hey everyone. So the main reason this chapter took so long is I wanted a song I could use without been reported for using lyrics without permission. If you look at the description of the Again cover, it says use as long as mentioned. I hope you like the song choice, as I love it. Til next time, folks.**


	18. Facing Demons

**Chapter Seventeen: Facing Demons**

Lily held her head in her hands as she listened to Narcissa speak. "Does it have to be tomorrow?" She asked softly, sighing. "Why the fuck would a court open the day after Boxing Day?"

Narcissa sipped her coffee, checking her notes. "Well, the courts have been backed up lately, Lily. Between the World Cup and other problems with the Tri-Wizard Tournament, finding a squib judge and an impartial jury has been a nightmare on my part. The Muggle courts have this down as child abuse. The fact that most of it has to been done through magical means, it's not easy to do."

Lily nodded, sitting up. "Great, now I have to ruin my son's first proper holiday with his family. Why don't you just shoot me in the ass?"

"Because plastic surgery is expensive and I'm pretty sure your husband would appreciate it if I didn't damage your ass." Narcissa smirked, opening her folder. "Andromeda's going to be your main barrister for the actual trial. I'm going to assist and provide the evidence, but she's always been the one who gains sympathy from judges." She took out a page. "Unfortunately, the Dursleys had to be a proper defense solicitor." She sighed. "They received Alexander Monroe, the biggest bastard in the world."

Lily rubbed her forehead again. "Ok…" She took a small sip of her tea, hearing Shadow bark. "I know, boy." She tossed him one of the puppy treats she had bought. "Harry's going to be pissed."

Harry frowned, removing his cloak. "Not really." He admitted. "I'm more annoyed you don't let me sit in on these meetings." He said softly, sitting across from Narcissa. "You can ground me later, but this is my fight. What's the deal with Monroe?"

"Monroe's a bastard." Narcissa repeated. "He's known for taking cases where the evidence is against his clients, and getting them off. He managed to get several Death Eaters off of death row. He's also pretty famous for getting Sirius Black in Azkaban without a trial. It was his idea when he was on the Wizengamot." She took out some files. "I'm not sure what strategy you want to go with."

Harry picked Shadow up, scratching his ear as he thought about it. "Andromeda mentioned that the best bet we have is if I take the stand." He said softly. He didn't want to tell people what happened. He didn't want to seem weak, but he didn't want those bastards walking free either. "Is that still the case?"

Narcissa nodded. "It is." She said softly, flashing him a sympathetic smile. "The judge has been told you're on the fence about testifying, but we're hoping you've changed your mind."

Harry sighed, closing his eyes. "I'll do it." He said softly, feeling Shadow's tongue on his face. "I told you to stop doing that." He opened his eyes, seeing Shadow giving him an innocent look.

Lily placed her hand on his. "I'm sorry, I should have brought you in on all this." She sighed. "I just…"

"I know." Harry smiled weakly, squeezing her hand lightly. He turned to Narcissa. "Make sure Andromeda is ready for everything." He chuckled. "And get a bottle of whiskey ready."

"Planning a celebration?" Lily teased, trying to add to the joke.

"No." Harry shook his head. "But win or lose, I'll need a drink after talking about this amount of crap." He pet Shadow's head. "Now, how about you and I go to your bathroom?"

Lily watched him walk out with the dog. "Seriously, just shoot me in the fucking ass…" She finished her tea. "Anything else we need to discuss?"

"Yeah." Narcissa sighed. "Draco wants to be there. He's starting to spend time around Harry with all of Harry's lordship training. I can make him vow not to tell anyone, if that helps. I think he just wants, he wants to know the truth."

Lily nodded. "Ron and Hermione will be there as well, so just make sure he plays nice."

Narcissa smiled. "Consider it done." She stood up, fixing her dress into place.

"Narcissa? How do you stay with Lucius?" Lily asked curiously.

"He's a brute at times." Narcissa smirked. "But he's just a product of his family. He's a Pure-blood purist, I can't change that. As for Draco, I'm making sure he's nothing like his father."

Lily smiled. "I suppose love really does trump all."

Narcissa smiled. "So they say. Let's just say that Lucius can be the man I fell in love with, when he doesn't act like a twat."

 **-HS-**

Harry woke the next day feeling strangely numb. He got himself dressed, placing Shadow in his little play area. He walked into the kitchen, sitting down with his friends and family. He was sure that he should've felt nervous, or even worried about the trial, but he didn't. It was strange, he'd imagined this very scenario many times in his youth. He picked at his breakfast, trying to get it to stay in his stomach. "Huh?" He asked, noticing Sirius was speaking to him.

"You're in a daze." Sirius frowned a little. "Are you ok, pup?"

Harry nodded. "Just, trying not to think about what could happen…"

Lily held his hand. "We're not letting them get away with their crimes, Harry. I swear to you, they will pay." She spoke softly, though her voice held an icy tinge when she thought about her sister. "Now, finish your breakfast and then we'll Floo to the Penthouse."

Harry smiled softly. "Ok." He squeezed her hand, finishing his breakfast as fast as he could. Once they were in London he was ushered into the Jag once they left the Penthouse. He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking of what he was going to say.

Andromeda was sat across from him, fiddling with the papers in her case. "We're going to speak to you first, Lily. You're the one the jury will hate at the start. You're going to need to show the emotional distress you were under." She turned to Tony. "You're going to back up her statements and add in what you've done to bond with Harry since meeting him. We'll speak to your servant and driver too if needed, but that's only if we see the need." She turned to Ron and Hermione. "You two are the important ones for Harry's school life, so you need to be truthful about everything."

Harry opened his eyes. "And me?"

"We'll speak to you last, Harry." Andromeda said softly. "McGonagall and Dumbledore will be there to add statements. You've got the hardest job though, sweetheart. You've got to be brutally honest. It's going to be draining. It's going to be hard." She warned him. "But, we know you can do it."

Harry nodded, messing with the window. "I um," He sighed. "I'll do my best."

"That's all we ask." Lily hugged him. She felt the car stop after a few minutes. "Happy, this can't be the place."

Happy frowned. "Car crash up ahead, boss. I'm going to have to go through the side streets." He explained, moving through the new roads. "As for speaking about the kid, count me in." He put his foot on the accelerator, stopping outside the courthouse. "I'll park the car and be with you with a moment."

Harry walked beside Andromeda, entering the courtroom with her and his mother. From what he had heard, the majority of the jury were either Half-bloods or Muggleborns, and the judge was a Squib, so they would be able to discuss magic. Most of the viewers were probably from the magical world, as well as people from S.H.I.E.L.D, who he recognised instantly. The one person he didn't expect to see was Draco Malfoy, who was sitting in the second row with Andromeda's daughter.

Andromeda guided him into the seat, sitting beside him. Narcissa took his other side, dressed in an all black suit. Her hair was tied into a bun and she wore a pair of reading glasses, which made her look extremely different from her usual aristocratic look. "Ready kid?" She asked softly.

Harry gave a small nod. "Just make sure you brought your A game." He smiled.

Narcissa smirked. "Don't worry, the Black Bitches are here to work." She gave him a feral grin, opening her briefcase. "Just relax, and let us focus on the important stuff."

Harry was about to reply, when he heard the doors open with the instantly recognisable sound of Vernon moaning about something. He seized up a little, taking small breaths to keep himself relaxed.

The judge entered a moment later, taking his seat. "I am the honourable judge, Francis Jackson. Now, a few rules before we get into these proceedings. First, there will be no magic in my courtroom. I've dealt with a few magical cases over the years, and I will not tolerate anyone trying to mess around with wands." He noticed the defendants seemed to like this ruling. "Second, there will be no badgering of children in this courtroom. I will hold anyone who attempts so in contempt of court." He seemed to glare at the Dursleys' solicitor for a moment. "Finally, while this is a family matter, there will be no fighting in my court." He warned everyone present. "With that said, Mrs Tonks, you may give an opening statement if you wish."

Andromeda stood up, nodding her head. "Thank you, My Lord." She moved towards the jury. "I'd first like to thank everyone for being here. This trial is unusual, as it hasn't been been publicised as much as it should've been. To most in this courtroom, the name Harry Potter is an unmistakable one in our world. He is often referred to as the Saviour of our world, for vanquishing Lord Voldemort as a child." She stopped for a second, turning to Harry. "However, the way England has treated their 'saviour' is deplorable at best." She sighed. "I will prove to this court that my client has been treated like a slave by his relatives, who were sworn to protect their nephew. I won't take up too much time, since we have a lot to go through, so I will leave you to the defendant's' solicitor."

Alexander Monroe stood once Andromeda sat down, smirking a little. "Thank you for those words, Mrs Tonks." He made his way to the jury. "Unlike my opponent I will not waste time with pretty words. I will prove to you, that my clients took a child into their home and kept that child alive. The young man has done nothing but throw their kindness into their faces. That is all."

Judge Jackson nodded. "We'll start with the evidence. Mrs Tonks, you may present your evidence first."

Andromeda nodded, standing once more. "We'd like to start by showing Harry's medical records from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Objection, My Lord." Alexander called out. "She's trying to show Nurse records as if they were from a proper hospital."

"My Lord, Poppy Pomfrey spent ten years working as a Healer in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies, before turning to Hogwarts." Andromeda frowned. "She is an expert in pediatric caring."

Judge Jackson slammed his gavel. "I'm allowing the records to be shown." He gestured for her to continue.

Andromeda placed a folder onto his desk, as well as one to the jurors and to Monroe. "What you're looking at is a compilation of Mr Potter's medical exams from his first year in Hogwarts in 2007 to his most recent one in 2010." She opened her own copy. "If you would please look at page three, which is Madam Pomfrey's findings. I would like to quote a section. 'While his height is slightly below average for an eleven year old, Mr Potter's weight is only five pounds over the limit of malnutrition, while his back and upper legs are littered with a variety of scars, ranging in sizes and state of healing. It is my personal opinion that Mr Potter's home life should be examined, as obvious signs of abuse are occurring.' This alone shows that Hogwarts had suspicions of Harry's home life from his first year."

Alexander cleared his throat. "My Lord, the words 'Personal Opinion' should be reflected as Madam Pomfrey was unable to prove any abuse."

Andromeda frowned. "My Lord, Poppy Pomfrey has been working at Hogwarts for twenty five years as of the new year. I believe she is quite able to reach a competent opinion with the evidence she had at hand."

Alexander turned the page. "I'd like to draw attention to both pages seven and ten. I quote from page seven, which is from Mr. Potter's second year. 'Mr Potter has gained a significant amount of weight since his previous year. It is good to see that there are also no new markings on his body.' Madam Pomfrey's own words, ladies and gentlemen."

"I'd like to point out that Mr. Potter spent a month with the Weasley family in the summer of 2008 after they had to rescue him from a barred up room!" Andromeda took out the statement from the twins. "I also have a pensieve memory from Fred Weasley, George Weasley and Ronald Weasley to show said event."

Monroe frowned. "I retract my statement." He reluctantly responded, sitting down. "I would however like to quote page ten, which is from Mr Potter's third year."

"My Lord, it is a well documented fact that Mr Potter spent a month and a half living in Diagon Alley after an altercation with one Marjorie Dursley." Andromeda instantly cut him off. "I'd however, would like to quote page eleven of said document. 'While his weight has decreased, yet again, the main problem I could see was a nearly faded bruise pattern on Mr Potter's left shoulder. What seemed to worry me was the handprint pattern of the bruise.' That is all from the evidence from Madam Pomfrey's reports, My Lord. I would like to show Mr Potter's main medical records, but they're non-existent after October 31st, 1997, the day of his father's death."

Judge Jackson nodded, turning to Monroe. "Mr Monroe, would you like to present any evidence of medical reports?"

"No, My Lord." Monroe shook his head, tapping the pen against the desk. "I do however, request a small recess to prep my witnesses."

"Do the prosecution have a problem with this?" Judge Jackson asked.

"No, My Lord." Andromeda shook her head.

"So be it. We reconvene in thirty minutes." Judge Jackson banged his gavel.

 **-HS-**

Harry ran a hand through his hair as he took a small sip of his coffee. "Fuck. This is way more intense than I thought it would be." He chuckled weakly. "You're an animal up there, Mrs Tonks." He said softly.

"Please, call me Andromeda." Andromeda smiled at him, looking through their notes. "Monroe's playing it safe for some reason."

"His witnesses must be his ace in the hole." Narcissa rubbed her forehead. "Witnesses will be the easiest thing to do. The whole thing should be done by tomorrow if we're lucky." She sighed. "Though, we need to prepare for harsh counter crosses."

Harry shrugged, playing with the donut on his plate.

"Don't play with your food." Narcissa sipped her coffee. "Especially not a donut, it will probably squirt some jam on you." She added with a humourous smirk.

Harry chuckled weakly, taking a bite of the donut. "Do you think we could lose?" He asked curiously.

Andromeda sighed. "Honestly, I don't know kid." She admitted. "Monroe's taken on cases tougher than this and won, but he's not exactly going on the offensive, yet anyway…"

Narcissa took out the list of witnesses they had set up. "We're going to start with your mother. It'll hopefully show the emotional strain she was going through at the time, as well as the pain she felt. Then, we're going for Mr. Stark." She turned to Tony. "Your job is second only to Harry's. You have to confirm how Lily was when her husband was murdered and the way she felt when she thought Harry was dead."

Tony nodded, not adding one of his usual jokes. "Of course." He held Lily's hand, his face unusually serious. "Either way, if they do get off. I have a couple of suits on stand-by." He smirked a little. "I can have them accidentally activate their sniper modes."

Harry gave a weak smile. "Thanks." He finished his donut, moving over to Draco, who was sitting by himself. "Trying to find some new material to insult me with?" He asked, sitting beside him.

Draco shook his head, taking a sip of his tea. "I…" He gulped a little. "I've heard of Muggles being bad, but…why don't you want to end the muggles?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders, thinking on the question for a moment. "Because, I don't want to be like that. My mother, she was born to muggles, who were good to her. My girlfriend, she's muggleborn. There's good in the muggles, Draco." He said softly. "In fact, if we have time after this, I'd like to show you that."

Draco nodded. "Ok. I mean, the school's changed a lot. The new muggle stuff is really popular. It'd be nice to see what else the muggle world has to offer." He glanced over at Ron and Hermione. "Will they be ok with me hanging out with you though?"

"I think so, once they see that you've been cured of your twatness." Harry joked, smiling at him. "Also, I'd appreciate if the others didn't know about this, not until the papers come out…"

Draco sipped his tea. "Don't worry, I promised my mother that what I hear here, will be kept here." He promised him."

"Thanks, Draco." Harry looked over at Ron and Hermione. "Come on, Draco, let's sit with everyone else."

 **-HS-**

Judge Jackson banged his gavel. "We're back in session. Mrs Tonks, you may call your first witness when ready." He gestured to Andromeda.

"Of course, My Lord." Andromeda stood up. "We call Lily Stark to the stand." Once she was sworn in, Lily sat down, keeping her hands on her lap. "Mrs Stark, could you please talk us through the morning of November 1st, 1997?"

Lily nodded. "Of course. I was in America for a week, visiting a friend of mine, my current husband, Anthony Stark. We had went out the previous night since I was due to depart that afternoon. At…at 1pm, Tony's butler, Edwin Jarvis came into the room. T-Tony had a subscription to the Daily Prophet, he enjoyed the crossword puzzles. Jarvis handed me the newspaper," She stopped for a moment, wiping the tear that was starting to form in her eye. "The headline was of the tragedy that happened. It reported that I was dead, as well as Harry and James."

Andromeda handed her a tissue, pacing around. "Mrs Stark, who was the woman who was found in your home?"

"R-Rachel Smith. She had been my husband's trainer in the Auror Corps." Lily sniffled. "She was also my son's godmother. James and I, we ended up having a fight before I left." She smiled sadly. "Rachel and James were planning to get me, Harry and himself out of the country. I didn't know anything…so I thought my husband was being unfaithful. I went to Tony because, I just needed a friend." She felt her lip wobble. "Not a day goes by when I feel terrible for those arguments…"

Andromeda nodded. "Mrs Stark, would you please tell us why you didn't come home to bury your husband?"

Lily smiled sadly. "When I read that article, when I read that my son was dead…" She closed her eyes. "It was like my heart was gone. England had taken everything from me. My friends, family, my son and my husband…all dead." She wiped her eyes. "I told Tony, I was never going back to England. I had nothing left in England to go back to."

"Thank you, Mrs Stark." Andromeda turned to the jury. "I've only one more question, Mrs Stark. What was your reaction when you found out your son was alive?"

Lily smiled gently, her entire demeanour changing. "It was like every dream I had come through at once. Like I could finally…finally live again."

"No further questions." Andromeda sat down.

"Would you like to cross examine, Mr Monroe?" Judge Jackson asked.

Monroe nodded, standing up. "Mrs Stark. What was your relationship to Anthony Stark when you were younger?"

Lily frowned. "We were friends. We went to the same primary school for four years."

Monroe smirked. "I see. So, Mr Stark was your friend before you entered the magical world. That must've caused some problems when you entered Hogwarts."

"Objection! Badgering the witness." Andromeda called out.

"Sustained. Ask a question or sit down, Mr. Monroe." Judge Jackson warned him.

Monroe nodded. "Of course, My Lord. My apologies." He moved closer. "How did Tony Stark know about the magical world? Something that non-magicals are not to be allowed knowledge of."

Lily smirked. "He was at my wedding." She held her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry." She gave a small chuckle. "James and Sirius were enchanting food to attack each other, and Tony walked into the path of a piece of cake. After that, I had to explain everything to him. Since he was heading back to America, and promised to keep the secret."

Monroe raised an eyebrow. "So, you broke the Statute of Secrecy for a friend? That sounds responsible. Are you aware of the rules you broke?"

"I am." Lily nodded. "But, Tony's father was a founder of S.H.I.E.L.D, all of whom knew about the Wizarding World. His butler for instance has fought against Vampires in the late sixties and early seventies. Tony's family could be trusted to know."

Monroe nodded. "I see." He gestured at her to the jury. "There you have it, a woman who had no regard for the law. Tell me Mrs Stark, why didn't you ask Mr Stark to come to you?"

Lily bit the inside of her cheek. "Tony had invited James, Harry and I out, but James dug his heels in and said no, so I decided to visit him."

Monroe fixed his glasses. "Mrs Stark, is it safe to say you're angry when you went to visit him?"

"Objection! Leading the witness." Andromeda called out.

"Sustained. This is your final warning, Mr Monroe!" Judge Jackson warned him.

"Of course, my apologies My Lord." He bowed his head. "Did you go to America to cheat on your husband?"

"No!" Lily frowned. "Tony was my friend at the time. I went to see him because I couldn't see my English friends. Marlene was dead. Alice was in hiding…" She clenched her fist. "I spent three months on anti-depressants because I couldn't forgive myself for being angry at my husband. I couldn't look at myself in the mirror. So don't you dare try and paint me as some sort of whore." She spoke icily.

"No further questions, My Lord." Monroe sat down.

"Thank you Mrs Stark. I apologise for the rudeness you've suffered." Judge Jackson motioned for her to sit down. "Mrs Tonks, any other witnesses?"

"Two, My Lord. I'd first like to call Mr Edwin Jarvis to the stand." Andromeda waited until he was sworn in. "Mr Jarvis, you've known my client for a few months now, correct?"

"Yes." Jarvis nodded, keeping his hands on his lap. "Since late July."

"And may I ask, in your opinion, Mr Jarvis, what do you think of Mr Potter?" Andromeda asked softly.

"Objection! The witness is in the employ of the Stark Family!" Monroe frowned.

"Sustained. Mr Jarvis' opinion cannot be given." Judge Jackson banged the gavel.

Jarvis sighed. "I understand my opinion cannot be accepted, but Mr Potter is someone I've grown to care about." He spoke softly. "When I first met him, all I saw was a child who was terrified of saying the wrong thing, or doing the wrong thing…"

"Mr Jarvis, I have to ask you to stop." Judge Jackson said sternly.

"Of course, My Lord." Jarvis nodded.

Andromeda fixed her glasses in place. "Mr Jarvis, you were a soldier in the Second World War, were you not?"

"I was." Jarvis nodded. "Dishonourably discharged though, I must admit."

"Of course." Andromeda nodded. "But, you've seen signs of malnourishment, am I correct?"

"I did." Jarvis sighed. "More times than I would like to remember."

"Did Mr Potter show any signs of malnourishment or malnutrition?" Andromeda asked softly.

"He did. I've been the cook since Mr Stark was a baby. Harry couldn't hold anymore than a quarter of a plate when he first lived with us." Jarvis explained, rubbing his forehead. "I'm not a doctor, nor will I try and claim as such, but I know malnutrition. My wife was forced into a concentration camp until I forged the papers that got her out. Visible ribs…an inability to keep large portions down." He closed his eyes. "I abhor the feeling of pain I had whenever I heard Harry vomit from trying to eat too much."

Andromeda stopped walking. "Vomiting? So how much food could Harry keep down, Mr Jarvis?"

"No more than two slices of roast chicken, three potatoes and a handful of carrots." Jarvis sighed.

"No further questions." Andromeda sat down.

"No need to cross examine…" Monroe grit his teeth. The damn butler had covered his bases.

"Mr Jarvis, you may leave the stand. We will reconvene tomorrow morning." Judge Jackson banged his gavel.


	19. Freedom

**Chapter Eighteen: Freedom**

Harry got out of the car, heading into the Penthouse. He had been told that they would stay here tonight, so he just made his way to his room, closing the door. He didn't know why, but he just felt numb. Being in the same room as the Dursleys, it reminded him of the bad times, when he didn't have his mother, or any of the support he know had. He removed the suit he was wearing, changing into a pair of trousers and a sleeveless top.

After a few minutes of fixing his bedroom into order, he turned to the window, thinking of how much had changed. His mother may have only been in his life for five months now, but he couldn't think of what it'd be like without her now. It was odd, usually after a day like the one he was having he'd end up drinking. But, for the first time since his mother came back into his life, he didn't want to drink. He opened the window for a moment, watching the people go by their day. It wasn't too late to head out and have some fun, and he could use some air.

He grabbed a jumper and a jacket, going to the kitchen. "I'm going on a walk." He said softly. "I won't go too far, don't worry."

Lily nodded, handing him a wallet. "There's £250 in there, in case you see anything you want to buy. No drinking!" She warned him sternly.

Harry nodded, hugging her before leaving. He hadn't explored London a lot during the summer, so it was a nice change to just relax. He fixed his collar, trying to keep his body warm. He heard footsteps behind him, turning to see nothing there. He frowned a little, turning the corner. He pressed his watch, twisting the face a little.

He continued walking down the street, listening to the hustle and bustle of the London streets. He didn't know why he was being so paranoid about things. Maybe it was just the idea that someone had put his name in the Goblet. Dumbledore had theorised that someone wanted Harry dead, and that was the reason his name was placed in the Goblet. He entered one of the shops that specialised in gaming, checking the shelves for anything he could bring back to Hogwarts with him.

It was nice, browsing shops like a normal teenager would. Not looking over his shoulder or worrying about the Dursleys was something he was grateful for. He walked back to the streets, staring at someone at the street corner. He swore someone had been there for a second. He shook his head, heading around a corner. He stopped outside one of the local bakeries, picking up some donuts and cakes before heading to the local music shop.

"You're being followed." Natasha spoke behind him, causing him to jump a little. "S.H.I.E.L.D's gotten intel that some Colombian wizards are seeking the Gauntlet from you." She glanced around. "Pay for your stuff and follow me."

Harry followed her out, twisting the watch again. "I've activated my tracking beacon and sent word to J.A.R.V.I.S through a prerecorded message that'll tell everyone that I'm in danger."

Natasha nodded, prepping her guns. "If things go south, I want you to run. Got it, kid?"

Harry frowned. "Ok." He tapped the watch in three places. "Though, I've a better idea to help you out." He motioned his head to the sky, which had several small drones flying around.

"How long have those things being flying around?"

"I activated them when I got a bit paranoid." Harry turned a corner with her,flicking the watch. It slowly opened up to form a small seven inch tablet on his arm. "I had some spare time last month." He chuckled, tapping several buttons. "One through Six are scanning the area for magic users. Seven and Eight are patrolling."

Natasha shook her head. "Wow. I'm actually impressed. If that had been Tony, there'd be a lot more ego massaging going on."

Harry smirked. "I've got a few tricks up my sleeve." He activated the secondary sensors. "This is the part where I start letting my ego show." He made several complicated movements on the tablet, causing the sky to light up for a second. "Three magicals in the immediate area. All of them are coming towards our location. Two are armed with wands and the other has an unknown magical device…"

Natasha frowned. "Ok." She sighed a little, checking the area. "Too many civilians here. Can we take this somewhere deserted?" She asked curiously.

Harry checked the map. "Sorry. London is a densely populated area." He smirked. "Ready for me to show off?"

Natasha raised her eyebrow. "Impress me, kid."

Harry tapped the final option on the area. "The drones have just activated both a power outage and sent a powerful anti-muggle ward around this area. The bracelet Tony gave you has been blocking such wards from working on you." He explained. The largest drone flew down to him, opening to reveal the Gauntlet in its briefcase mode. "As for fleeing, these guys want this, then I want to know why."

Natasha shook her head. "My orders are to keep you safe."

Harry activated the new Gauntlet suit model, flexing the units. "It's time to test out the new features I've set into the suit."

The three wizards entered the area. "Give us the crystals, now!" The head one ordered.

Harry clenched his fist. "Why don't you make me?"

"With pleasure." The man responded, giving a feral grin. He sent three Killing Curses towards Harry and Natasha.

Harry dodged the two spells, sending a large arc of flames towards the man. "How do you know about the Gauntlet?"

"We're Aurors!" The man shouted, showing his badge. "S.H.I.E.L.D stole the Gauntlet from our men years ago, we've been searching for the crystals ever since!" He manipulated the flames away. "I don't want to hurt you, boy."

Harry removed the helmet. "I'm working on the Gauntlet for myself." He said to the men. "I'm not an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D, they offered the Gauntlet to me to see what would happen."

The Auror motioned for his men to stand down. "Why are you helping them, young man? Those crystals are pure evil."

Harry sighed. "I'm aware of the danger of the Legion Crystal." He shook his head. "Hell, I've had nightmares over it, but I need to keep this in safe hands. The Colombian Ministry would weaponise it. Hell, my Ministry would. Once I have it deciphered, I'm going to lock it away for the rest of time."

The Auror shook his head. "I cannot allow that to happen, young man. It is my duty to ensure the destruction of the crystals." He raised his wand. "Last warning."

Harry's helmet activated again. "Good to know." He smirked to himself. "Now!" He shouted.

Each of the drones sent a small focused beam towards the Aurors, causing them to fall to the ground. Their wands slowly turned to dust as they fell, leaving a shocked Natasha staring at Harry. "Are they dead?"

"No." Harry shook his head, placing the briefcase sized suit back into the drone. "They'll wake up with one hell of a hangover, but they'll be alive." He took their Auror IDs from them, placing them in his pocket. "Now, why don't we tie these gentlemen up and get them back to the Penthouse?"

Natasha frowned. "Kid, you scare me sometimes."

Harry grinned. "I scare me too." He loaded them onto the drones, heading back to the Penthouse with Natasha.

 **-HS-**

Andre woke with a blast of water to the face. "Who the fuck are you?" He spit out the water.

Harry frowned. "I'm someone you shouldn't have come after. Now, why don't we talk about the Gauntlet?" He asked curiously, sitting across from him. "Why are you so interested in the crystals?"

Andre frowned. "We're members of the Colombian Resistance." He shook the water from his hair. "My codename is Andre." He closed his eyes. "I…I need those crystals."

Harry shook his head. "I'm not letting anyone get their hands on the crystals. Pablo gave his life to ensure the Colombian Ministry didn't get their hands on the tech."

"Don't you dare talk about Pablo!" Andre shouted. "He was my friend! My mentor! He designed the Gauntlet crystals to ensure that we would not lose to the corrupt." He sighed. "Pablo gave his life to ensure that the Ministry didn't get their hands on the only technology that would allow us to live."

Harry frowned. "Pablo died years ago. Why didn't you attempt to take the crystals when he died?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D took them off of his corpse." Andre frowned. "My friend died to ensure we could win. I demand those crystals. Or at least the schematics."

Harry stopped for a second. "What schematics? I don't have any schematics for any of it. Pablo left notes on everything, but no schematics exist."

Andre shook his head. "It can't be. I saw them with my own eyes. He left schematics on how to create different things."

"J.A.R.V.I.S, I need you to scan S.H.I.E.L.D's database for the schematics." Harry sat back down.

" _Scanning…"_ J.A.R.V.I.S remained silently for a moment, beeping after a few minutes. " _Schematics for the crystals were hidden by Agent Margaret Carter when she first brought Project G to S.H.I.E.L.D."_

Harry nodded. "I want your word that you won't use the crystals for evil purposes."

Andre closed his eyes. "All I want is my country to be free." He took a deep breath. "Please, allow me to take the crystals, you can find the schematics."

Harry cut his binds. "I can't give you either, not yet. But if you give me two weeks, I'll have the schematics and then I'll give you my old crystals."

Andre nodded. "Of course." He took his things back. "Our wands?"

"Destroyed." Harry gave an apologetic look. "My wards worked a little too well."

Andre chuckled. "I suppose it did."

Harry handed him twenty-one galleons. "For you and your men. Go to Ollivander in Diagon Alley, he'll restock you with new wands."

"Thank you, young man." Andre shook his hand. "We will return to you, Harry Potter. Be careful not to betray us."

Harry held onto his hand tightly. "Of course. And be careful not to cross me." He warned him.

Andre smirked, leaving without another word.

"J.A.R.V.I.S, contact your fleshy counterpart and have him arrange a visit for us to DC. I want to visit Peggy Carter." Harry instructed him.

 **-HS-**

After the excitement of fighting against the Colombians, the court seemed to be even more tedious than the previous day. Hermione was holding his hand, which gave Harry a sense of comfort. He watched as Tony took the stand, hoping that he wouldn't act like a complete prat.

Andromeda paced the grounds, staring at Tony. "Mr Stark, how would you categorise your relationship with Harry?"

"Harry's my stepson. We've bonded a little over the last few months." Tony smiled. "In all honesty, the kid is a prodigy once he's given a lot of encouragement. We've been working together for a while on different projects. I like to think we've a good stepfather/stepson thing going on."

"I see." Andromeda smiled a little. "Mr Stark, has Harry had problems adjusting to life with parents?"

Tony sighed. "A lot in the first two months. Harry would wake up early and cook for himself. He'd spend a lot of time in his room. He was, it was like having a university student living with us." He chuckled weakly. "I've had days where I've seen Harry sit down and work on anything that would keep his mind occupied. Seven, eight hours of just working on the same thing."

Andromeda nodded. "You said Harry's a prodigy, could you give us an example of such?"

Tony nodded, tapping one of the holopads. "My Iron Man suits have become a staple of media life lately." He stopped as most people chuckled. "Harry has been helping me augment and alter parts of the suits. In just under five months he's managed to master what some MIT students couldn't in five years. When he puts his mind to something, he doesn't stop until he knows everything he can about it."

"So, Harry's not an idiot in your opinion?" Andromeda asked curiously.

"Not one bit. Harry's intelligence lies in his tenacity. I've given him a lab at our school, and he's working on things to help him with the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He does it alone. I'm amazed at how many things he's managed to create."

"Could you give us some examples?" Andromeda prodded him.

"Sure." Tony tapped the holopad. "One of the first things Harry designed was a specialised system of drones that would work off of a holopad, which disguised itself as a watch. These drones can scan a city in minutes. He's currently looking at some offers from both the US military and S.H.I.E.L.D."

Andromeda turned to the jury. "Sounds like an intelligent young man to me. Can you tell me something, Mr Stark? What was your wife's reaction to seeing her son?"

"She nearly collapsed. I brought her, and Harry to our home and we talked about things. Harry, he was apprehensive. He thought someone was pranking him. He said to me, with his life, he was used to being pissed on…that life had a habit of kicking him when he was down." Tony wiped his eye. "I remember his voice when the tests proved it. His voice, it had this…this small tinge of hope in it, like things were finally going to be good for him."

Andromeda nodded. "No further questions for Mr Stark."

Monroe stood up, smirking a little. "Anthony Stark." He motioned at him to the jury. "Here is a man, with a reputation that would put a street walker to shame! A man who has slept with more women than Britain had."

"Hey! I resent that statement." Tony shook his head. "I've been in a relationship with Lily for nearly two years!"

"Two years?" Monroe asked, smiling to himself. "You've known your wife for how long, Mr Stark?"

"Since I was seven, so twenty-seven years now." Tony frowned.

"And yet only two years of that is romantic?" Monroe asked.

"Yes." Tony bit the inside of his cheek.

Monroe smirked to himself. "How many relationship have you observed Mrs Stark in?"

"Two." Tony said softly. "One to myself, and one to her first husband, James."

Monroe frowned. "No dating? None whatsoever after her husband's death?"

"She had one dinner with a friend of hers. Aldrich I think his name was." Tony said softly. "It was a catch up I think."

Monroe smirked. "I see." He tapped the wood. "Do you remember the day Mrs Stark was told her husband died?"

"I do." Tony frowned. "One of the worse days of my life. Her sobs, the emptiness in her voice." He stared over at his wife. "I've shrapnel in my heart, trying to shred it to pieces, but that pain is nothing compared to the pain I felt when I found out James was dead…"

Monroe turned to Harry. "And what about her son? What were her words?"

"He died in her arms. He died in his whore's arms." Tony frowned a little. "She had been upset."

"No more questions." Monroe sat down.

Tony didn't wait for the judge to dismiss him. Within a few seconds he was back beside his wife, holding her close to him.

Harry pulled on Andromeda's sleeve. "Skip everyone else." He whispered. "I want to take the stand, now." He said, his voice filled with steely determination.

Andromeda nodded, smiling a little. "We'd like to call Harry Potter to the stand."

Harry sat down, swearing in as Andromeda began to approach him.

"Harry, we know this is hard for you, but can you describe your time at the Dursleys?" She asked kindly.

Harry nodded, taking a deep breath. "It wasn't pleasant." He began in a soft tone. "For as long as I could remember, my position within the Dursley home was that of a burden and waste of space. I was given more chores than a child should have been given. Cooking breakfasts, cleaning the garden and doing all the gardening. Cleaning cars. Cleaning the house. Washing clothes. Hell, there wasn't a chore I didn't have. My clothing was all of Dudley's old clothes, even though I was a small in clothes and he was a large. My shoes were either held together with tape or had cardboard in them to keep the soles intact."

Andromeda felt her own heart break as he spoke. "What did the neighbours think of you, Harry?"

"All of Privet Drive were told I was a delinquent. It got worse as I got older. When I was a child, it was that I was a shoplifting pyromaniac who had poor Petunia's heart wrecked with worry." Harry frowned. "The last time I was there, the rumour going around was that I began selling narcotics to other delinquents around the area."

Andromeda nodded. "Harry, have you ever used a narcotic?"

"No. I've never even seen a drug in person." Harry responded. "Unless you count alcohol as a drug, which some people do…"

"The law doesn't consider it a drug." Judge Jackson assured him. "Though I am curious why a teenager would be near alcohol."

"I go to a boarding school, Lord Jackson, there's all alcohol around the parties." Harry clarified.

Andromeda smiled. "Harry, what were your school years like before Hogwarts?"

"Fun, at first." Harry said softly. "My first days of school were nice, until Dudley and his gang ensured that no one would befriend 'the freak'. Teachers tried to stop things, but then mysteriously the teachers stopped helping."

Andromeda frowned. "Have you any theories why that happened?"

"Better than theories, I know for a fact that Vernon was bribing them." Harry sighed. "He and the principal are golfing buddies."

"You lying little brat!" Vernon shouted.

"Mr Dursley!" Judge Jackson shouted loudly. "You will remember to be calm in my court room, or you shall be spending the night in a cell!"

"My client apologises, My Lord." Monroe assured them, sitting Vernon down.

"How do you know this, Harry?" Andromeda asked curiously.

"Vernon used to brag about it whenever he beat me." Harry's voice got a lot smaller when he spoke. "The principal had told the teachers I'd been psychologically diagnosed as a pathological liar. After that, whatever Harry Potter said was taken with more than just a grain of salt…it was just ignored."

Andromeda wanted to hug him at that moment, but kept her professional demeanour. "Harry, what happened when you received your Hogwarts letter?"

"Which one?" Harry asked. "It took two weeks and a thousand or so letters until Hagrid was sent to ensure I was ok." He chuckled softly. "Best day of my life until I found out Mum was alive. Hagrid helped me with a lot of things, and still does." He smiled. "Vernon refused to allow me to attend, stating that 'the freakiness wouldn't be tolerated'."

Andromeda nodded. "Did things improve when Hogwarts came into the equation?"

"Yes and no." Harry said softly. "At first, the Dursleys were terrified to do a thing to me, until a house elf dropped a pudding on someone, and they found out about the Statue of Secrecy. After that, it was like things had to be backtracked on."

Andromeda turned to the jury. "Harry, what's the difference between your life now, and life with the Dursleys?"

"I'm treated like a human." Harry said softly. "I wake up, knowing that I'm not due a beating. No one belittles me. Or refers to my late father as a drunkard or a layabout. I don't have to cook for people and then eat one piece of toast." His emotions seemed to crumble as he spoke. "I'm don't feel like an insect. I feel like I actually belong. I don't feel like a freak!"

"No further questions." Andromeda sat down.

Judge Jackson stared at the young man for a moment. "Mr Potter, do you think you can handle a cross examination?" He asked kindly, offering the young man a tissue.

Harry nodded, taking the tissue. "Thank you, Judge Jackson." He said softly, wiping his eyes. "Mr Monroe, why don't you come up here and make an ass of yourself?"

The courtroom gave soft chuckles at the young man.

Monroe stood up, moving over to him. "Tell me, Mr Potter. Do you know how much it cost to raise a child?"

"It's estimated that it costs £50,000 a year to raise a child in a middle income area in regards to food, clothing, education and healthcare. Though the actual figure is believed to be closer to £90,000." Harry replied cooly. "Though you'll have to check the children's ombudsmen website."

Monroe chuckled. "Very good, young man. And how long were you in the care of your aunt?"

"November 1st 1997 to July 30th 2010." Harry responded neutrally. "So just under thirteen years."

"So, in essence, your aunt would've needed just under £1,000,000 for you in those years, is that correct?" Monroe asked softly.

"Yep." Harry frowned. "Though I can assure you, not a tenth of that amount was spent on me."

"What brands were the clothing you wore?" Monroe asked curiously.

"I don't know, the tags would be worn by then, as would any logos." Harry bit the inside of his cheek.

"Where did your aunt do her food shopping?" Monroe continued throwing questions at him.

"A shop, like most people do." Harry replied sarcastically. The court held small chuckles at his answer again.

Monroe frowned. "Where did your glasses come from?"

"A second hand shop in Surrey. I've had them since I was five." Harry replied.

Monroe gave him a snake like smile. "Now, why don't we talk seriously?"

"Fine by me. I'm not the one paying your bill." Harry stared at him.

Judge Jackson repressed a smile. "Mr Potter, would it be possible for you to stop with the smart remarks? This is a court of law, not open mic night."

Harry nodded. "Of course, My Lord." He said softly. "Ask away, Mr Monroe."

Monroe glared at him. "Do you have any physical evidence that my clients 'bribed' the principal of the school?"

"Actually, I do." Harry smiled ferally. "Would you like to see the evidence, Mr Monroe?"

"I would, actually." Monroe responded.

Harry motioned for Narcissa to come over. He took the reports from her, handing one to the judge and one to Monroe. "Under British Law, any person working in education can have their bank account information accessed in regards to abuse of children or bribery. What you are looking at is the bank account information of one Thaddeus Warwick, the principal of Surrey Primary." He turned to the judge. "Highlighted on each page is transfers from the Grunnings Drill Company to him. Oddly enough, the payments are from Vernon Dursley's office."

"My Lord, this evidence cannot be entered." Monroe tried to argue.

Judge Jackson scanned the pages. "Overruled. This evidence is viable in my courtroom." He spoke angrily. "And I believe this evidence is damning." He handed it to the bailiff to pass on to the jury. "Now, either continue your questioning, or sit down."

Monroe grit his teeth. "Tell us about your so called abuse, Harry!" He snapped.

Harry frowned. "I was beaten a lot, starved often." He stared at Monroe. "You listened to me say this before, Mr Monroe."

"Just making sure you can tell it twice." Monroe frowned. "Now Harry, where is the proof of this abuse? Pictures? Recordings?"

Harry jumped up. "You want proof?" He asked, taking his jacket off. He removed his tie, throwing it to the ground. He began to unbutton his shirt. He turned around. "There's your goddamn proof you cold hearted bastard. Ask me about any of those fucking scars and I'll give you memories that will haunt you whenever you do try and sleep. I'll tell you about every scream. Every ounce of blood that trickled down my legs. How they often put SALT in my wounds just to torture me. How I had to stitch myself up with a sewing kit." He trembled with rage, fat tears rolling down his cheeks. "I'll tell you how I tried to off myself as a ten year old!"

"Mr Potter, you may sit down." Judge Jackson said softly. He stood up, placing the jacket around his shoulder. "And I speak for this court when I say, you are a brave young man for taking the stand."

Harry nodded, bowing to the judge as he sat down.

"I've one more witness, My Lord. I'd like Albus Dumbledore to take the stand." Andromeda spoke softly, glaring over at Monroe. Dumbledore took to the stand, sitting once he was sworn in. "Professor Dumbledore, how long have you been an educator?"

"Seventy-four years as of this September gone." Dumbledore replied in a soft voice.

"And how many cases of abuse have you witnessed in that time?" Andromeda asked softly.

"Too many." Dumbledore sighed. "In recent years, I've only seen one that was truly upsetting."

"And who was that?"

"Harry James Potter." Dumbledore replied softly.

Andromeda fixed her glasses into place. "Professor Dumbledore, you were the one to place Mr Potter in the care of the Dursleys, were you not?"

"I was." Dumbledore nodded. "The Potters were in hiding from Harry's birth. I had one of my agents go to the home when the wards collapsed. The agent brought Harry to me at Hogwarts. We gave him a thorough examination before bringing him to the Dursleys."

Andromeda nodded. "Now, let's talk about when Harry came to Hogwarts." She turned around, ensuring Harry was ok. She gripped her fist, turning back to Dumbledore. "How did Harry mix with others?"

"Not well at first. He was cripplingly shy." Dumbledore explained, taking off his glasses for a moment. "Then, he began to socialise, but he's been prone to rumours and people turning against him, though he has managed to quell such rumours thanks to the confidence given to him by his mother."

Andromeda nodded. "What are his grades like?"

"Since Mrs Stark has entered his life again, tremendous. Though he is currently attending the Stark Academy of Magic until the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament." Dumbledore took out a small folder from his bag, handing it to the judge. "These are Harry's end of year grades since his entry to Hogwarts."

Judge Jackson frowned a little. "I see. I have one question for Mr Potter, if he will indulge me."

"Of course." Harry nodded, fixing his tie back on.

"You run a lab, correct?"

"I do. Mostly I work on robotics, but I dabble in some organics works as well." Harry explained. "The second task seems to be aquatic, so I've been working on several potions to allow me water traversal without need for a mechanical apparatus."

Judge Jackson nodded. "So, you used to dumb yourself down?"

"I did, Lord Jackson…" Harry admitted.

"I see." Judge Jackson passed on the folder to the jury.

"I believe we've spoken to Professor Dumbledore enough, we are finished with our witnesses." Andromeda said softly, sitting down.

Monroe frowned. "We do not wish to question Dumbledore." He rubbed his forehead. "I would also like to discuss something with Mr Potter's legal team…"

"Fine. Half hour recess." Judge Jackson banged his gavel.

"I'm going to be at that meeting." Harry insisted to the Black sisters.

 **-HS-**

Narcissa had perfected her so called 'bitch' face many years ago, so it was just fun to stare at the Dursleys. "You've five minutes to say what you want, Monroe, then we're going to finish digging your clients graves."

Monroe frowned. "Name your price, Malfoy."

Narcissa turned to Harry. "What do you think?"

Harry smiled darkly. "A noose is a good start, maybe poison." He took a sip of his water. "If we're being realistic. Your clients plead guilty and I'll allow reparations of £1,500,000 and the minimum sentence for Vernon. Oh, I'll also a written piece in the Surrey Local that states that they have lied about everything. And in return, I don't bring righteous fury down upon them."

Monroe sipped his water. "How about £775,000?"

Vernon frowned. "Just called our witnesses so we can win this ruddy thing!" He shouted.

Harry smirked. "You're fucked." He shook his head. "The only reason he called this meeting is because he's trying to save his own reputation!"

Monroe frowned. "Listen boy, just accept the money."

"It's not about the money. It's about hurting them." Harry snapped. "And my way of hurting them is to ensure they are made to feel as powerless as they made me feel."

Lily placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "I personally think the death sentence would be a nice thing to do." She added in, keeping Harry close to her.

Monroe frowned a little. "Ok, here my final offer. They'll pay £1,000,000, but you will allow suspended sentences."

"No deal." Harry stood up. "This meeting is over." He walked back to the courtroom, sitting down at the desk. "We should be ready in a moment, Judge."

Narcissa and Andromeda sat each side of him, giving him a small smile as the Dursleys and Monroe re-entered the room. Harry just watched in grim satisfaction as the Dursleys seemed to understand how doomed they were. Monroe stood up once the court had been reconvened. "We do not wish to call any witnesses, My Lord."

"I see." Judge Jackson nodded. "As you are all aware, the outcome of this shall be put into the wizarding justice system. I am going to warn you, Mr and Mrs Dursley, that these convictions will have a large prison sentence."

Monroe frowned. "My clients understand." He said simply. "We attempted to work out a deal, but Mr Potter has turned it down."

"What was this deal?"

"They wanted suspended sentences." Harry explained. "For everything they've done to me, they cannot be allowed to escape their fate."

"I agree." Judge Jackson nodded. "The jury will now deliberate." He said softly. "If it takes more than two hours, then we will have to reconvene in the morning."

The jury left the room, returning after only fifteen minutes. Harry frowned a little, feeling both Narcissa and Andromeda slip their hands into his to comfort him. The foreman of the jury stood up once asked. "On the charge of child abuse, we find the defendants, guilty. On the charge of child neglect, we find the defendants, guilty. And on the charge of embezzlement and fraud, we find the defendants, guilty."

Judge Jackson nodded, turning to the Dursleys. "You will receive the maximum sentence for each crime. I hereby sentence Vernon Dursley to forty years in prison. Petunia Dursley, I hereby sentence you to forty years in prison. As for Dudley Dursley, we have reports of crimes, so he shall be sentenced to a young offenders camp until his eighteenth birthday, then after a psych profile, will either have ten year probation, or prison. I thank you all for your assistance."

Harry nodded, smiling. He hugged the Black sisters, standing to his family. He hugged his mother and Tony, grinning as he turned to see the Dursleys being taken away. He knew it had happened, he finally felt free.


	20. The Second Task

**Chapter Nineteen: The Second Task**

 _ **Harry Potter's Muggle Life: Prophet Exclusive**_

 _By Rita Skeeter_

 _Many of us have known the story of Harry Potter since that eventful night on October 31st 1997. What many of us have not been aware of is the life he suffered under his muggle relatives. Petunia Dursley, the sister of Lily Stark (Formerly Potter nee Evans) awoke on the morning of November 2nd to find her nephew on her doorstep, with a handwritten note and instructions that he was to be placed under her care. The reason for this was simple, Lily Stark had erected powerful blood wards that would keep her son safe._

 _The story that follows belongs on the pages of a horror story, and not in the biography of a young man who saved our country from You-Know-Who. Beatings, starvation and humiliation sounds like something out of a horrid prison that completely disregards human rights, not a home in Surrey. Mr Potter (14) spent two days in court, explaining to the courtroom and many people the life he had been forced to live. This reporter was invited as envoy to the Daily Prophet, on the urging of Mr Potter's mother. The courtroom didn't work out like something out of a muggle novel or television show, but more like something out of every mother's nightmares._

 _Things from intelligence to his very home life were hidden by Mr Potter, who was often the brunt of people's rumours and other speculations. I was surprised to learn that Mr Potter was currently using a lab in the Stark Academy of Magic, which was jokingly called the Prongs Academy of Magic and Prankery by Mr Potter several times. Mr Potter, who was once thought to be a below average student has apparently been shining with the confidence his mother has provided for him._

 _Mr Potter's home life has opened up letters of investigation towards the Ministry of Magic, who have been asked why normal magical/muggle guardianship procedures were not followed. We will keep you updated to events as they happen. I sat down with Harry after the courtroom, to see how he felt. He gave three statements. The first one to the Daily Prophet._

" _While I am happy with the results of the court, I do wish that the sentences were longer. The selfish part of me hopes they are treated as I was, though the human side of me knows that it cannot happen."_

 _The second statement made by Mr Potter was to the Ministry of Magic, and to the ex Minister for Magic, Millicent Bagnold and her departments._

" _I do hope investigations will be made so no other person has to go through this. The excuses given to people who failed is simply 'your mother's wards', even though those Blood Wards can be found in Hogwarts Library for any student, regardless of age. It is mentioned in fifth year Ancient Runes. I speak now to Cornelius Fudge and his administration, you have the chance to ensure the sins of the father, or in this case Minister Bagnold, do not get projected to you. It is time for the Ministry of Magic to understand that blame cannot simply be passed around."_

 _Harry's final statement went to me. It was powerful for me to hear, especially from a teenager of his age._

" _I just want to go home, and spend time with my family. After all of this, I just want to be with people I know and trust. The last two days have been heartbreaking and I just want to put them behind me. I want to ask for privacy until I give any interviews. Thank you everyone. And thank you Ms Skeeter."_

Harry's lab was the talk of the article in Hogwarts more than his home life. Most were curious on what Harry was working on. It wasn't a surprise when Harry was asked to show it off to nearly everyone, including Professor Burbage. It took a couple of weeks before he had things ready, which increased the hype behind it to everyone.

"Hello everyone, and welcome." Harry stood behind a large door. He'd worked with Tony to extend the size of the lab to handle the sheer number of people that wanted to see what he was working on. "I'd like to ask that no one touches anything in the lab since most of it is in the experimental stage. Now, the door behind me leads to an extended version of my lab, which has all my equipment set up. I'll show off some of the items, but please be careful. Now, you were all given specialised wristbands to enter the lab. Keep them on at all times, please."

The first group of students were the first years along with the Heads of each house and Professor Dumbledore. They all entered the lab, admiring the large space.

"Now, we'll start with something that's fun." Harry tapped the panel on the wall, activating the scanners. "Professor Dumbledore, I'm disappointed that a Professor would sneak sweets into a place of learning." He chuckled. "Fifteen lemon drops in your back pocket."

"Wicked." One of the students grinned.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Impressive. I suggest it finds anything?"

"Yes. It even scanned the second wand you keep in your wand holster." Harry smiled. "I'm going to finish them and donate them to the Ministry of Magic, as an entry system." He explained. "Now, this lab works in combination with Stark Industries and S.H.I.E.L.D, both of which fund some of my work."

"So you're funded?" Flitwick asked, with a tone of approval. "What kind of things do you design for these Shield fellows?"

"Right now, non-lethal weaponry designed to take down terrorists and magical extremists." Harry smiled. "How would you like to be my assistant for the next thing, Professor Flitwick? An ex-Duelling Champion like yourself will see the benefits of this next invention."

Flitwick smiled. "I'd be honoured, Mr Potter." He said softly, walking to where the young man had indicated. "Now, what is it you need me to do?"

"Cast a spell, Professor. A lethal one, aimed at either myself or Professor Dumbledore." He pressed the button on his system. "Whenever you're ready, Professor."

Flitwick nodded, brandishing his wand. "Reducto!" He shouted, casting a strong blasting curse. He frowned as his wand simply moved in his hand. "What the devil?"

Harry smiled. "Would everyone please look to the ceiling above Professor Flitwick and the ground beneath him." He pointed to several lights. "Magic suppressors." He said softly. "Not something I can take full credit on. My stepfather requires weaker ones than this to keep his technology working around us." He chuckled. "I took the principle of his design, and elevated it to a point that suppresses the gene that controls magic."

Flitwick shook his head. "Impressive." He said softly. "I never thought such a thing possible. What exactly suppresses the gene, Mr Potter?"

"It's a combination of warding crystals, which are readily available, and isolating the gene in a laboratory in order to understand what feeds it. Our magic is fed by the ambient energy of our planet. It's a symbiosis of sorts. The magic that our bodies naturally expel feeds the planet, which in turn forms the energy our magic feeds on." Harry explained.

"Like plants!" One of the first year Hufflepuffs exclaimed. "They live on carbon dioxide and expel oxygen."

"Exactly!" He grinned, clapping. "Let's give a hand to Professor Flitwick." He chuckled.

Everyone clapped at the small Professor, who gave a bow and moved back to the students. "What's that thing?" The young girl from Hufflepuff asked.

Harry turned around, spotting the small orbs. "Ah, those are an anti-water device. In case someone was trying to drown you. Just throw it and the water is expelled around you in all directions. It'll also freeze the water so you're encased in an orb of ice."

Dumbledore smiled a little, understanding the usage. "Intelligent design, Mr Potter." He said softly.

"You haven't seen anything yet." Harry whistled, which caused a small mechanical phoenix to appear. "While nowhere as amazing as a real phoenix, this one is designed with some special add-ons." He chuckled, holding his arm out. "Meet F.A.W.K.E.S. It stands for the Far And Wide Kinetic Express System. F.A.W.K.E.S here is able to fly from here to France and back and only use a quarter of the battery life. It is completely magic proof and able to carry up to five kilograms within its body."

"Trying to put the owls out of service, Mr Potter?" McGonagall asked, with a hint of humour in her usually strict tone.

"Well, it's going to be used to transport things that owls cannot be trusted with. While it is still in the prototype stage, it will hopefully be ready by June." Harry explained. "It is able to fire some of its quills as knives and blast small fire blasts towards anyone trying to steal its contents."

The students continued to look around the lab until their tour ended. Once they left only Harry and Dumbledore remained. "I must say, you have really impressed me lately, Harry. The way you've rose above all of the things that once held you back."

"Thank you, Professor." Harry smiled sadly. "Is this about the investigation? I'm sorry, I didn't know you were part of Bagnold's administration."

"Harry, don't worry." Dumbledore assured him. "I hold no anger. I've already presented everything to Mrs Malfoy and Mrs Tonks." He took a glance at the robotic phoenix. "Fawkes will be quite honoured by the name."

Harry chuckled, turning the robot off. "In all honesty, it's a weapon." He said softly. "It wraps around the wearer's arm to create a small hand cannon. The transportation part is a secondary feature, but I don't want these kids to just see weapons."

Dumbledore nodded. "Harry, since you know the Second Task, you do understand someone will be taken?"

Harry nodded. "I do." He said softly. "And let me tell you something, something that is to be said to all the judges. Whoever is taken from me, if they are harmed in any way, I will end the lives of each judge, slowly. Painfully." He frowned. "I'm losing anyone, not anymore."

Dumbledore placed a hand on his shoulder. "I have faith in your abilities, Harry." He left the room, allowing the young man to continue the tours of his lab.

 **-HS-**

Hermione walked into Harry's personal lab, noticing that he was working out for the fifth time that day. "You know, it's either brains or brawn, not both." She teased, watching him do some pushups. "You're going to be the size of Hagrid if you're not careful."

Harry laughed softly, continuing his exercise. He hopped up, taking his sweaty top off. Since the courtroom, he hadn't been as self-conscious about his scars as he used to be. He activated the quick shower, changing into fresh clothes before returning to her. "I've been working on my stamina. I've got to be able to swim for an one hour."

Hermione nodded, kissing his cheek. "Have you finished the work on the sonar device?" She asked softly.

"It's working against bats, but I don't know if it'll have the same effect on the merpeople. I'll have to just hope it will…" Harry sighed, turning to the computer. "As for the blueprints for crystals, it's amazing." He grinned.

"Jarvis got them?" Hermione asked, taking a look at the digitised versions. "How do they work?"

"It seems like Tony and Pablo had the same ideas, only decades apart." Harry brought up Tony's designs for the orbs. "Both use ward crystals, but Pablo used a specialised kind found in the mountains of Columbia. The rebels managed to get me a hundred of them." Harry opened a container, showing multiple new crystals. "I managed to keep the Legion Crystal from the rebels. The others are going to be replaced with new ones. The Incendio one is useless underwater right now. So I've created five new ones just for the Second Task. A Glacius crystal, though I'll only use it when I need to."

Hermione noticed one that was glowing green. "Harry, is that what I think it is..?" She asked softly.

"It is." Harry took it into his hands. "It took a lot of hatred to create this baby. It's only going to be used…if he comes back."

Hermione took it from him, shaking her head. "Harry, this is an untested nuclear weapon in a sense." She placed the crystal in one of the lined boxes. "I want you to lock this away in the vault and never let it see the light of day."

Harry frowned. "Hermione…" He took the box from her. "I'm not going to use it unless Voldemort comes back." He promised her. "This is to keep the people I love safe. It's to keep you safe." He whispered.

Hermione sighed, watching him lock into a certain compartment of the small vault. "Harry, I can't let myself be the reason that something so evil exists."

Harry took her hand in his. "I know, but it's not going to change my mind about things." He kissed her hand. "No fight? I'm exhausted…"

Hermione ruffled his hair. "I'll let you off this once, but that is not coming out whenever I'm in this lab, mister." She warned him, doing her best impression of a scolding mother.

"Careful there," Harry smirked. "All you have to do is dye that hair red and I'd be kissing my mum." He teased, kissing her nose as he picked up some of the tools he had been working on. "Hey, I finished your new hair straighteners."

"It won't work. The last one didn't." Hermione chuckled. It had been a silly pet project the two of them had been working on for fun. The first one had managed to get Harry's hair to look somewhat respectable, it left hers looking even more frazzled. "And I don't fancy spending two hours fixing my hair again."

Harry smiled, passing it to her. "I'll be the guinea pig again." He rolled his eyes for a moment, taking off his glasses. "I really need to get a proper pair of glasses one of these days."

Hermione frowned. "Your mum should've brought you ages ago." She pointed out.

"We've been busy. Myself more than her." Harry felt her hands go through his hair. "Besides, I'm planning something special for my eyesight."

"No human experimentation!" Hermione shook her head. "I've already had to stop you from installing that thing into your ear."

Harry rolled his eyes. "It's completely safe." He sighed. "All that implant would've done is allowed me to understand any language."

"I don't care. You've become extremely reckless the last few weeks." Hermione began straightening his hair. "I know you've been trying to ensure your survival, but this isn't the way."

Harry didn't want to say anything to her at that moment, mostly since she held a hot metal plate near his skin. "Hermione, I'm just experimenting with things. Science is all about experimentation and probability. Besides, the design is one of Howard Stark's old ones." He pointed out, closing his eyes for a moment. "Hermione, I wouldn't try it unless I trust myself."

"Howard Stark? The man who couldn't get a car to fly after twenty years of trying? The man who distanced himself so far from his own son they his son resented him for years?" Hermione rolled her eyes, finishing his hair. "I'll give you this one, it works."

Harry smiled. "Glad to know you approve of some of my inventions." He chuckled.

"You're a prat." Hermione kissed his cheek.

Harry sat her in the chair, straightening her hair as gently as he could.

 **-HS-**

The morning of the Second Task came all too quick for Harry. He stood at the wooden pier near the Black Lake, taking deep breaths. He couldn't see Ron, Hermione, Tony, his mother or Maria in the stands, and he was beginning to worry. "They can only take one…" He whispered to himself. "It's probably Hermione…though Ron would also be considered someone I'd sorely miss."

He watched the judges approach the area, and Dumbledore place the microphone on. "Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to the Second Task. Last night, four people were taken hostage, one for each Champion. They have one hour to save their hostage from the depths of the Black Lake."

Karkaroff made his way to the microphone. "For Mr Krum, his older brother Anton has been taken."

Krum clenched his fist, which had several audible cracks. " _If one hair is harmed on his head, I shall ram yours where the sun won't shine."_ He warned in Bulgarian.

"For Ms Delacour, we have taken her sister, Gabrielle." Madam Maxine said softly.

Fleur's eyes closed for a moment. She said a quick prayer in French, trying to keep herself from crying. " _I'm coming, Gabby…"_

"For Mr Diggory, his girlfriend Cho Chang has been taken." Dumbledore stared over at the young man.

"I don't know what Viktor said, but I know it was a threat. And I agree with it fully." Cedric frowned.

Harry watched as his mother approached the platform, a frown on her face. "And for Mr Potter…h-his sister Maria has been taken."

Harry's jaw clenched as he noticed his mother's frown. ' _I'm guessing the vote was against her…'_ He thought to himself. He walked closer to the other Champions, placing a Sonorus Charm on himself. "I say we work together. Fuck the competition at the moment. They made it personal the second they decided to take people close to us. We may be the ones chosen for the tournament, but our families and loved ones weren't!"

The others nodded their heads. "What iz your plan?" Fleur asked, her voice strained.

"We work together. Each of us has something we're good at that the others aren't." He knelt down, removing the spell. "Krum, I know you're planning to transfigure your upper body to a shark's."

"How do you know this?" Krum frowned.

"You practiced daily. My drones patrol the school." Harry explained. "You can scout out the dangers. Cedric and I will protect Fleur…I know Veela lose a small amount of power when they enter water."

"It iz less than 10%, I will be fine!" Fleur tried to argue.

"I don't care. They have our sisters, Fleur. They have Viktor's brother and Cedric's girlfriend." Harry activated the command watch. "I'm guessing none of you idiots thought of having a view for the stands." He pressed a button, causing the drones to fly into the lake. Three of the remained to project a screen. "Here," He handed a device to Fleur and Cedric.

"Gillyweed?" Cedric frowned. "What the hell?"

"It's an extract of Gillyweed. Wear it like a oxygen mask to keep yourselves from drowning." Harry explained, fixing one to his face. He nodded to the two of them, watching Viktor jump into the water. "I won't warn about my sister's safety. I'm telling the three of you." He stared at the other judges. "If she's in anyway harmed, I will kill all of you. These drones have one missile each, all of which have the ability to destroy a two story house!" He jumped into the water, hearing two splashes beside him.

The people in the stands watched in awe as the Champions came into view on the screen. Viktor was prowling ahead in his shark form, trying to sense for any danger. Harry, Cedric and Fleur were in a triangular formation, following Viktor as fast as they could.

"I've never seen Harry so mad…" Hermione whispered, her hand crushing Ron's out of worry. "I hope Maria's ok…"

"I'm sure she is." Ron smiled weakly, trying to comfort her anyway he could. "Besides, Harry will have her safe in no time."

Harry frowned as they spotted some of the grindylows. He tapped the control panel, causing two of the drones to fire towards them. "We need to keep moving." He spoke through the intercom of his breather.

Cedric nodded, moving with them. "I can see the village of the merpeople." He said softly.

Krum moved closer, heading back to them after a few minutes. He took a breather from Harry, placing it on his now human face. "Fifteen merpeople, maybe more in the surrounding area. Ve must be careful."

Harry nodded, tapping the tablet. "We've also got several Grindylows coming towards us from all directions." He moved some of the drones closer to them. "Cedric, you and Fleur take on the Grindylows. Viktor, you and I are going to take on the merpeople. Then we're going to grab the hostages and we all surface together." He took out several orbs. "Toss these towards the Grindylows, they'll contain the beasts in an orb of ice and water."

Cedric grabbed a couple of them, nodding his head. "We'll keep your asses covered, but don't take too long. We don't know what kind of enchantments are keeping them all safe…"

Harry nodded, swimming towards the village with Krum. "Five have tridents, the other ten are holding some form of ranged weapon, possibly harpoon launchers. Be careful." He warned Viktor.

Viktor gave a single grunt in response. He glanced towards the village. "I wish I had my broom right now. I'd be able to beat them within a moment."

Harry smirked. "Well, we're underwater, Viktor. We have to rely on our own strength right now." He swam to the entrance of the village, noticing the merpeople gathering. "We're here for the hostages."

"Only one per person." The chief of the merpeople frowned. "No more, no less."

Harry frowned. "We're not playing their game. My baby sister is there, as well as a Veela child." He raised his wand towards the merpeople. "None of you will be harmed, as long as we get our loved ones out of here."

The merperson held his trident towards Harry's throat. "Only one!" He repeated.

Harry bit the inside of his cheek. "Ok." He activated one of the orbs, causing the chief to become encased within an orb of ice. He swam towards the hostages, stopping once he saw them. "Maria!" He moved closer to her, checking her pulse. He cut the binds that held her, holding her close to him. "Viktor! Get Fleur and Cedric over here! We're ascending together."

Once everyone got together, Harry opened one of the orbs. He took off his breather, checking Maria's breathing. "They must be charmed to stay asleep until we breach the surface." He turned to the others. "Each of you needs to cast a spell to make the water swirl. It'll let us blast out of here within five to ten minutes." He explained, trying to keep himself calm.

Fleur held her sister close to her. "I say we kill the judges when we get back. Those bastards have endangered our loved ones."

Krum remained silent, holding his older brother on his arm. "I agree. We could hang them off the sails of our ship. By their toes."

Cedric laughed a little, resting his head against the icy wall. He closed his eyes, smiling. "An easier way to kill them would be to subject them to some of Hagrid's famous rock cakes."

Harry burst out laughing. "Hey! Those are edible, if you soak them in tea." He used a drying spell on Maria's clothes and his own top. He removed the top, carefully wrapping Maria in it. "I get the first punch. Those fuckers had multiple options of people to choose from me…"

 **-HS-**

The second the icy orb breached the water it exploded, leaving four extremely pissed off champions, three disorientated hostages and a crying baby on the podium. "ALBUS PERCIVAL WULFRIC BRIAN DUMBLEDORE!" Harry shouted from the top of his lungs. He placed Maria in Lily's arms, making his way towards the Headmaster. He grabbed the elderly professor's beard, twisting it in his hands until Dumbledore was eye level with him. "Explain, now!" He demanded.

"Harry," Dumbledore spoke in a calm voice, keeping his face neutral. "She wasn't in any danger. We placed extra charms on her and the water around her was specifically heated to keep her body temperature safe."

"She's only four and a half months old!" Harry shouted. "Any of my friends or other family would've made perfect hostages! You did not have to endanger the life of my little sister, you old bastard!"

Dumbledore gave him a gentle smile. "Because you needed to see what was in your heart, Harry." He said softly. "You couldn't hold her a few months ago, and yet you gripped onto her because you know what you feel for your family."

Harry let him go, biting down on his cheek. "Ok…" He took a deep breath, launching a right hook to the professor's jaw. "I don't give a fuck about my score." He walked away from the judges, moving towards the Quinjet. "Logic, why is it such a fucking rarity in the Wizarding World?!" He shouted into the air.

" _I believe most of them aren't used to muggle based logic, Mr Potter."_ J.A.R.V.I.S responded.

"I was speaking to myself…" Harry sighed, sitting down at the control panel. "Bring up the footage from the drones."

J.A.R.V.I.S brought up all the data from the drones. " _If I may say so, Harry, you certainly have earned the respect of many people today."_

Harry activated the coffee machine, staring at the image of himself. "Fuck, I look like something out of a crappy 90s action movie." He chuckled, taking a sip of the freshly roasted coffee. "I cannot believe that I punched Dumbledore." He smirked a little.

J.A.R.V.I.S gave the best chuckle he could muster thanks to Harry's new laughter files. " _It seemed like a powerful punch, if I do say so myself."_

Harry sighed. "I should probably apologise if I want to attend Hogwarts next year…"

"I don't think an apology will be necessary." Tony smirked. "You should have seen the tongue lashing Lily just gave him. It beat out your punch by a huge margin." He checked the footage. "Maria's fine." He said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Madam Pomfrey gave her a thorough examination to be safe."

Harry nodded, taking a glance through the footage once more. "What score did they give us? It had to be low."

"Actually, all you earned maximum scores." Tony corrected him. "It was the first time in the tournament's history that all champions have worked together during a task." He shrugged. "Which is stupid, since the whole point is international cooperation." He took a cup of coffee. "Have you taking my personal stash of beans again?" He sniffed the coffee.

"God, no!" Harry scrunched his nose. "Your taste in coffees are far too weak for my liking. These beans come from Bulgaria. They're roasted by Dragons."

Tony nodded, taking a sip. "Whoa!" He coughed a little. "Too strong." He placed the cup down. "Seriously, is it filtered through a damn energy drink or something?"

"No." Harry frowned a little, sitting down. "I should still apologise to Dumbledore. He does manage the attendance of students in the school."

Tony smirked. "Be very thankful you've never had to deal with your mother's ire. Dumbledore will let you back in." He chuckled.

Harry tapped the panel. "Ok. J.A.R.V.I.S, I need you to order me a large box of lemon drops, and a crate of those artisanal chocolates from Belgium Jarvis picked up last month."

" _Of course, sir. Shall I have them delivered to the Penthouse?"_ J.A.R.V.I.S asked.

"Yes." Harry rested back on the chair. "That should be a nice apology gift."

 **A/N: I'm sorry it took so long to update this, but, I GOT A JOB! Which is awesome since it's getting my antisocial ass out of the house. However, it does cut into writing time a little, but don't worry! I'm not abandoning this story, it's my favourite one to write right now.**


	21. The Woman of Many Faces

**A/N: In order to keep the continuity of the new Fantastic Beasts movies in this story, Dumbledore and Grindelwald have aged significantly to allow their original birth years still be used. At the time of this chapter, Albus Dumbledore is 129 and the only given year for Gellert is 1893, making him 117. I believe that was the time he began his education, and I know he was supposed to be Dumbledore's age when they met, so I am going to say he's also 129. I also have another A/N at the end of this chapter, regarding a new format I will be implementing. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **I don't own Harry Potter or the Marvel Universe, if I did, I certainly wouldn't still be living at home now, would I?**

 **Chapter Twenty: The Woman of Many Faces**

The stairway to the Headmaster's Office was notorious for many students of the school as the one place you did not wish to be. However, Harry didn't give a bollocks what the students often said about the office, he had to give an apology to the elderly wizard. He gently knocked on the door, hearing the Headmaster's voice beckon him in. He took a gingerly step into the office, taking a quick glance at the Headmaster. It seemed Madam Pomfrey had made quick work of healing his nose, as it didn't seem to be out of shape.

"I was hoping to speak to you, Professor Dumbledore…" He said softly, holding the small box in his hand.

Dumbledore gave a quick glance to the young man, trying not to laugh at the sombre expression on his face. He gestured to the seat in front of him. "Take a seat, Harry." He turned his attention back to the monitors that now occupied his desk. "I must say, the work that has gone into these systems truly shows the extent you and Mr Stark are having on the world."

Harry gave a soft smile, taking a look around the office. "I'm impressed. I haven't had the chance to actually check out the system in here yet, sir." He stood up, checking the new magical detectors. He placed the box onto the table. "I'd like to apologise about the other week, sir…it was wrong of me to lash out at you."

Dumbledore chuckled softly, fixing his glasses into place. "I must admit, I believe it has made you even more a legend around these parts, Harry." He opened the box, raising his eyebrow at the multi coloured items in the box.

"A collection of artisanal sweets from the best chocolatiers in Belgium and France." Harry took his seat again, keeping his gaze on his lap. "I am really sorry, Headmaster. Anger and all that…"

Dumbledore handed him one of the sweets, taking a small bite from one of them. "Hmm, lemon infused chocolate." He observed the young man for a moment, his mind flashing back to his own youth. "I managed to receive three months detention in my fifth year for a similar incident. Only in my case, I had cursed a student who had insulted my father. It took several hours for the student's screams to stop once he had been healed." He magically poured two cups of tea, passing one to him. "I shouldn't have used Maria. My first plan was your mother."

"Then I probably would've killed you." Harry chuckled weakly, attempting to make a small joke.

"Indeed. Then Miss Granger did cross my mind, but in all honesty, I didn't think I'd survive if that happened." Dumbledore replied, his eye giving its usual twinkle. "Protection of family is something to be cherished, Harry. And it is also something you must keep from affecting your emotions. Trust me when I say this, people will try and exploit it as a weakness."

Harry nodded. "I know, sir." He whispered, taking a sip of the tea. "Thank you for the score."

Dumbledore's laugh filled the room once more. "Oh dear boy, you don't understand. In all the history of this tournament, never has there been a case like that. All Champions working together for the common goal, it has never happened. I dare say, you, Miss Granger, Mr Diggory and Mr Krum will surely make history for that event alone."

Harry finished his tea, placing the cup down. "The student back then sir. Did he deserve it?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Indeed he did." He ran his fingers over the rim of the cup. "Hold onto your family, Harry. Especially young Maria." His face went stoic for a moment. "Sisters are special, Harry. They require their brother's guidance, but also their love." He said softly, a tear rolling down his cheek.

"Professor?" Harry frowned slightly. In the four years he'd known the Headmaster, never had he seen him upset. "Is something wrong?"

Dumbledore wiped the tear from his face. "Just memories, Harry. The folly of all men and women." He stared at the young man for a moment. He could see a lot of his old self on the young man's face. The bubbling anger. The intelligence. And the slowly growing arrogance that would come with said intelligence. "Have you ever heard of Gellert Grindelwald, Harry?"

"Only on chocolate frog cards." Harry admitted.

Dumbledore gave a weak smile. "Gellert was a student of Durmstrang, a gifted user of the Dark Arts and a man with an obsession for power." He felt his free hand instinctively move to his wand. "Gellert believed quite strongly that the only way for wizards and witches to survive, was for wizardkind to enslave the non-magical world."

"Like Voldemort, sir?" Harry asked.

"No. Voldemort wants the eradication of non-purebloods. Gellert, he welcomed any into his ranks. Several of his most trusted lieutenants were muggleborns." Dumbledore's eyes took on an intense look. "When I was seventeen, I had the pleasure of meeting Grindelwald. My mother had just died, and I was caring for my brother and sister. Aberforth and Ariana." He sighed. "We become friends."

Harry frowned for a moment. Was Dumbledore truly telling him that he once had a friendship with a Dark Lord? He couldn't think of a world where something like that was possible.

"I was an angry man back then, Harry. While my friends went on their customary worldwide trip before starting their careers, I was caring for a sister with a great illness…" Dumbledore opened his desk, taking out a picture. "She was known as an Obscurus." He wiped his eyes again.

"An Obscurus?!" Harry shouted out. "Your sister was an Obscurus? I've never heard of one that wasn't a muggleborn…let alone one born in England."

Dumbledore looked at the young man with a great respect. "Not many people your age would know that, Harry."

"I've a girlfriend who's a fan of magical history, sir." Harry replied, his tone dripping with both humour and a hint of sarcasm. "I've more knowledge on magical history than most people. Wanted or not…"

"Ariana was attacked by a couple of muggles when she was a child." Dumbledore explained, answering his unasked question. His eyes closed for a moment, as he began to steady his breath. "They caught her doing magic. She had an amazing ability to tap into wandless magic, even at that age." He opened his eyes, which had flooded with tears at the thought of his dear sister. "After that day, her magic caused her great fear. My mother, she was more concerned with ensuring Ariana wasn't confined to St. Mungo's, which was a different institution back then."

"And your father?" Harry asked softly.

"He tracked the two boys down and held them under the Cruciatus until the Aurors arrived." Dumbledore answered, his voice void of emotion. "I hated him after that, and the Muggles for taking him from me." He wiped his eyes, opening the window of his office. "G-Gellert played on my hatred. On my confusion." He gripped the window panel. "He convinced me that his way was right. That we would protect the muggles, for the greater good."

Harry stared at the Headmaster for a moment. "Voldemort offered me a chance to join him in my first year." He whispered. He had a feeling that Dumbledore had never spoken about this to anyone in his life, and Harry had never spoken to anyone about that conversation. "Promised to bring my parents back from the dead. A small part of me, it wanted to join him, Headmaster." He took a deep breath. "In that moment I would've done anything if that had been true…I would've killed my friends if he had given any proof. It's not what we did in our pasts that define us, but it is what we do to overcome that past."

"That's a wise saying." Dumbledore mused.

"It should be, you said after the first war." Harry chuckled, standing up. "Sir, what you've told me will stay between us. On that you have my word."

Dumbledore smiled. "Thank you, Mr Potter." He placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "There's something I'd like to give you, Harry." He took out a small book from his desk. "Nicolas Flamel entrusted this to me, with strict instructions to give it to you once I felt you were ready." He handed it to him. "It's a book on the basics of Alchemy. I believe now that you're showing your potential, you may be able to make sense of it."

Harry opened the book. "This is handwritten…" He whispered. "This is Nicolas Flamel's Almanac…"

Dumbledore smiled. "Only to be trusted in the hands of someone ingrained in the light."

"And you believe me to be that person, sir?" Harry asked, closing the book.

"I do, Harry. And I know that you are trustworthy of that book." Dumbledore smiled. "If ever you need to speak about that book, my door is open."

Harry placed the book in his pocket. "Thank you, Headmaster." He bowed his head. "What happened between you and Grindelwald, Headmaster?" He asked politely. "And Ariana..?"

Dumbledore sighed, gesturing to the window. "I lost her. Dear sweet Ariana. Gellert and I were going to head to Europe in search of an artefact." He sat back down, chuckling ruefully. "We ended up fighting on a beach once Aberforth tried to intervene. The three of us duelled for an hour or so, then…" He felt fresh tears fall down his cheeks. "A-Ariana died…Abe and I fired off Killing Curses. Gellert fired one in defence, and then…Ariana ran in the middle to stop the fight. We never knew which one did it."

Harry stared at him for a moment. "Erised. You didn't see socks, did you?" He whispered.

"No." Dumbledore let out a small laugh. "You dear boy, you've become so much more than I ever thought possible." He whispered. "I see her, Harry. Alive and well, practicing magic and being happy. I saw Gellert and I, no longer enemies, but friends."

Harry nodded. He stared at the wand on the table for a moment. "Your wand is the artefact, isn't it?" He asked softly. "It's older than you. The wood is slightly cracked in several places, that only happens with old wood." He took the wand in his hand, examining it. "It must be special."

"It isn't." Dumbledore replied. "But when I was young, I was enamoured by the history of it." He smiled, though none of the emotion seemed to reach his eyes. "Harry, I'd like you not to mention this wand to anyone. Foolish men have destroyed their lives for this wand, and it is my duty to ensure it stays out of their hands."

Harry placed it back on the desk, bowing his head. "I will of course keep this to myself, Headmaster." He turned towards the door, chuckling to himself. "Professor, thanks for the book."

 **-HS-**

"Bring up file: Grindelwald, Gellert." Harry commanded.

" _Accessing database: FILE NOT FOUND!"_ The S.H.I.E.L.D internal database's bot called out.

Harry frowned at that. "Authorisation Potter Sigma Seven." He decided to try his luck. The authorisation code was one he had fabricated the last time he managed to get into S.H.I.E.L.D's system.

" _Authorisation denied."_ The database opened a specialised file. " _All records of Grindelwald have been moved to the Nexus of S.H.I.E.L.D's databases for protection, Mr. Potter."_ A new voice called out. " _We would appreciate it if you did not attempt to access those files."_

Harry frowned, quickly realising who the voice belonged to. "Director Fury. Why are those files on a separate server?"

" _Safety reasons, Harry. A lot of people have been trying to access those files. Non-magicals and magicals alike have been working on a way to get into those files, and that scares the shit out of me."_ Fury explained.

Harry moved to the alternate monitor. "I've still got you on the line. Now, where's the Nexus Server?"

Fury frowned. " _Drop it, Potter. Focus on the third task."_

"It's a maze." Harry ignored the threat. "I was flying around the other day and noticed something growing on the Quidditch pitch." He scanned the databases. "Wow, you're either extremely arrogant, or extremely idiotic." He chuckled. "J.A.R.V.I.S, access the original SSR database. It's an old tube computer from 1948."

" _Of course, sir."_

Fury sighed. " _Potter!"_ He shouted. " _You even think about accessing those files and I'm going to arrest you for treason."_

Harry activated a monitor. "Sorry about this, Nick." He smirked to himself. "Activate Directorate Order 15-B. Authorisation: Jarvis, Edmin Omega three."

" _Authorisation accepted."_ A primitive sound called out. " _Accessing file #130-B39: Grindelwald, Gellert."_

Fury grit his teeth. " _Download one copy of it to Server 65: Stark, Anthony."_ He growled out. " _One hour. And then you delete it!"_

Harry turned around, taking a large sip of his coffee. "Hour and a half."

" _Delete them once you're done!"_ Fury snapped out again.

"You got it, Nicky." Harry ended the call. "J.A.R.V.I.S, tell me a story."

" _Gellert Grindelwald, origin of birth currently unknown. Birth year is 1881. What we do know is that he was educated in Durmstrang, where he was quoted as being a gifted student, although one that delved too much into the Dark Arts. His mother was killed by muggles in 1897, a year before his expulsion from the school. Reports are sketchy afterwards, but it is believed he fled to England for a few years, where he struck up a friendship with Albus Dumbledore."_

Harry frowned. A small part of him had wished Dumbledore was lying to him. He couldn't believe that the gentle Headmaster had once been part of something as evil as enslavement. "When did he finally lose?"

" _1945\. His last stand was around the same time as the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He and Dumbledore duelled for an estimated 96 hours. Once it had ended both collapsed from magical exhaustion. Grindelwald was found without his wand, while Dumbledore held two. It is commonly believed that Dumbledore brought a second wand with him to ensure he had an upper hand. Both men were in a month long coma before coming to. Albus Dumbledore was given an Order of Merlin and made Headmaster of Hogwarts three and a half years later. Gellert Grindelwald was imprisoned in a prison of his own making within the borders of Germany."_

Harry took another sip of his coffee. "What about his followers?"

" _Unknown. Most left when he was imprisoned. Unlike Voldemort, Grindelwald's followers were not marked with anything on their bodies. Grindelwald's supporters in high places were all executed of course, but none of them revealed the names of others. It's commonly believed that Grindelwald held a complex network of spies and operatives. Magical Russia, Poland, Denmark and Sweden have still not fully recovered from the atrocities of Grindelwald."_

Harry shook his head, scanning through the files. "J.A.R.V.I.S, I want you to delete all of this. Scrub it completely from our server. Then, I want you to lock up the Nexus with any protection we can."

" _Of course, sir."_ J.A.R.V.I.S deleted the records from their databanks, allowing Harry time to think about all he had read.

It wasn't that he had lost any respect for Dumbledore. No, in fact, he had gained a lot of respect for the Headmaster. Hollywood had always sensationalised the story of redemption to the point that anyone could be called a hero, but the Headmaster had lived through more than Harry could believe. He'd lived through both muggle World Wars, both the Great Wizarding War and the English Wizarding War as well as teaching for untold years. If he had been in the muggle world, it'd be a miracle that he even survived to be over a century old, let alone still in good health.

He shut down the computers, locking up his lab. The past few days had been difficult for him to work with internally. He made his way to the one room he'd been actively avoiding with a passion; Maria's nursery. He opened the door carefully, watching his mother and the baby. "She's fussy today." He chuckled.

Lily nodded, not turning her attention away from Maria. "I don't know what's wrong with her." She admitted, cuddling the baby close to her.

Harry walked over to the baby, kneeling down to her. He took her into his arms gently, an act with shocked Lily greatly. He laughed at the baby for a moment. "What are you bitching about now, Maria?" He asked. "You're getting as bad as a Malfoy." He cooed, using his free hand to gently stroke her cheek.

Lily took out her camera carefully, getting a quick snap of the scene in front of her. It was unbelievable. Harry had actually initiated the contact with his sister. She knew the Second Task was mostly adrenaline and reflex memory on his part, but a small part of her had secretly wished that it would be the start of a beautiful chapter in her son's life.

Harry didn't hear the camera, all he could focus on was the sounds from Maria. He sat cross legged on the floor, adjusting Maria so she was snuggled into his chest. "Don't cry, Harry's here." He whispered, hearing her breathing gently slow to a napping pace. He winked up at his mother, placing Maria in the crib. As soon as his arms left her, her eyes started to open and a fresh bout of tears began to flow from her eyes.

"Looks like someone just wants her big brother." Lily chuckled.

Harry rolled his eyes, picking her back up. "You do this when I'm already taken, don't you Red?" He mock glared at the baby in his arms. "Couldn't do this when I was single, could ya?"

"She wasn't born when you were single." Lily shook her head, trying not to laugh at her son's antics.

"That's no excuse." Harry teased, noticing the papoose. "Want me to take her for some fresh air? I was going to head to the castle and catch up with some friends."

Lily raised her eyebrow. Now it was getting weirder. "Who are you and what have you done with my son?" She asked, shaking her head.

"Last week made me think, and Professor Dumbledore and I had an interesting conversation." Harry replied, placing her down to fix the baby carrier onto his chest. He looked absolutely ridiculous, but there was no way he would've been able to hold her for too long without his arms cramping. He placed Maria into the carrier, noticing her crying seemed to stop whenever he held her. "She's getting clingy." He noticed.

"She's young, Harry, but she can still form memories for a short time. Last week is probably still in her little head." Lily explained, fixing the straps in place. "She's scared, and she must hear your voice as the voice of safety." She kissed his forehead. "Now, be sure not to pull too many birds." She teased.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You've met my girlfriend, haven't you? Scary when pissed off. Knows more spells than the entire staff of Hogwarts. Has actually punched a wizard in the face. I wouldn't piss her off."

Lily couldn't help but laugh at the statement her son made. She couldn't believe how much he sounded like James lately. His entire demeanour had changed after the court's decisions. He had actively tried to connect with people. He'd begun to open up more to his friends. She'd heard rumours that he was also pranking a few students who had either insulted Hermione or Ginny, but she knew that James did the same thing to bullies during his stay at school. "Ok, now why don't you go and spend some time with your friends?" She chuckled.

 **-HS-**

As Harry made his way to the castle, a woman entered a small bank on the other side of the world. Her hair was a darkish red, with a small wisp of grey hair scattered around to mimic the age of a mother of two. She was dressed in the finest clothing that the muggle world could create. She made her way to the counter, smiling at the teller. "Hello, my name is Lily Stark. I'd like to make a withdrawal from my husband's account."

The teller smiled at the woman. "Mrs Stark, it's a pleasure to see you again ma'am. I thought you were in England with your family?"

"I'm back for the week to finalise some of the paperwork needed for my maternity leave." 'Lily' responded, taking out a leather purse. She took out a specialised bank card, handing it to the teller. "I'll need $350,000 in $100 bills." She handed the woman a small briefcase, keeping the cheery smile on her face.

The teller nodded, repressing a frown. "With a withdrawal of this size, we do have to ask you a few security questions." She brought up the Stark file. "Your mother's maiden name?"

"Potts was the old answer. Though I believe you've updated it with the proper answer; Evans." 'Lily' wiped some fluff from her jacket.

"Perfect." The teller smiled, clicking the button. "Second question: The specialised password for the account?"

'Lily' nodded, reaching into her purse. She placed her wand under the counter. "Imperio." She whispered, watching the woman's eyes glaze over. "I answered the questions correctly. Now you'll hand me back my card and place the money in the briefcase."

The teller took the card. "Here you are, ma'am." She replied, her voice devoid of emotions. "Thank you for choosing our branch."

'Lily' grinned, pointing her wand at the woman again. "Now, you're going to go into the vault and grab a bag. Fill it with a million dollars and walk out the front door with it." She instructed in a whisper, turning her back to the teller and leaving the bank at a leisurely pace. She walked to the side alley, removing the glamours placed upon her. "That was too easy." She smirked, opening the case.

An arrow hit the wall beside her, causing her to turn around. "You again." She rolled her eyes, twisting her wand. "What the..?"

"Sorry honey, but S.H.I.E.L.D has gotten some new upgrades. Your magic won't work in this area." The man replied, aiming another arrow above her. Once it reached a height of fifteen feet, the arrow exploded, releasing a net over the woman. "I've spent a lot of time and arrows tracking you, missy."

The woman glared at him, gripping her fist. "You! I knew I recognised your ugly mug." She fought against the netting. "Let me out, I'll scream!"

"Feel free." He chuckled. He tapped his communicator. "This is Agent Hawkeye to Director Fury. I've managed to tag MAI-01 for you. Requesting pickup at these coordinates. Be advised, we're under several layers of Nomaj repelling wards."

" _Nomaj? You been reading up on magical cultures, Barton?"_ Fury's voice called out.

"A man's gotta keep up on current trends, Nick." Hawkeye laughed, retracting his bow. He sat down across from the prisoner. "What's your ETA?"

" _Fifteen minutes."_ Fury replied.

Hawkeye nodded. "Got it." He tapped the control panel on his wrist. "I've got my tracker online. See you soon, Director."

 **-HS-**

Harry frowned as he sat in the cockpit of the S.H.I.E.L.D Quinjet. "Remind me again why we couldn't bring my sister back to my mother first?" He asked, glancing down at the napping baby in the papoose.

One of the agents chuckled a little. "We're sorry, Mr Potter, but Director Fury's orders were to collect you as fast as possible. We've already contacted your mother and Mr Stark to explain the situation." He checked the screen. "This is the Ozymandias, requesting permission to dock."

" _Permission granted, Ozymandias. Please dock in Hangar 5. Mr Potter's escort will be waiting there for him."_ The control tower called out.

Harry made his way to the entrance ramp. He walked onto the ground, noticing that Maria didn't appreciate the bumpy landing. "Don't cry, Maria. I'm sure the cranky S.H.I.E.L.D people will be friendly."

Natasha walked over to him, smirking a little. "Who are you calling cranky?" She asked, keeping pace with him.

"S.H.I.E.L.D in general." Harry shrugged, listening to Maria's breathing slow again. "She's nodding off again, we should be good. What's so important?"

"We captured MAI-01." Fury cut into the conversation, raising his good eyebrow at the sight of the papoose. "I didn't realise we were now a creche service." He remarked, shaking his head. "The Woman of Many Faces."

Harry rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he continued to walk. "Whoever makes up those names, they need to be sacked." He made his way into the holding area. He frowned as he saw the chains on her arms and legs. A muzzle was on her face and she was suspended in the air because of the chains. "What the hell?!"

"It's for safety reasons." Fury responded.

"Who's?" Harry entered the room, severing the chains. He activated two of the magic repressors, activating his tablet. "Hmm, you've actually managed to steal from Tony's account, I'm impressed." He said to the woman. He removed the muzzle from her mouth. "What would a witch need with muggle currency?"

"It's easier to sell to American wizards on the black market." Susanna frowned. "What are you guys, the president's new attack dogs?" She asked angrily. Her hair was frayed and her wrists were marked by the chains.

"No, I'm a member of the British Wizarding Community." Harry conjured two chairs. "I'm here to recruit you for something important." He handed her a small tablet. "The Magical Avengers Initiative. S.H.I.E.L.D's trying to help you out. Right now, you're looking at fifty years for interfering with the nomaj world, not to mention the amount of black market offences. You're looking at the death sentence at this point."

Susanna frowned a little, folding her arms. "I…" She closed her eyes. "I'm being forced into this, basically…aren't I?"

Harry glared at the S.H.I.E.L.D agents. They were essentially forcing her to be an agent. He checked on Maria for a moment before an idea popped into his head. "Your cover's going to be a live in nanny for an overworked corporate CEO." He noticed her eyes moving to the baby. "This is my sister, Maria. You won't have to actually do anything, but you'll have that as a cover. Otherwise, they'll keep you detained here."

Susanna stared at the kid for a moment. Her time had finally come. She knew that her time as a thief would eventually end. She just didn't think that she would be facing so many charges. She closed her eyes, hiding her face from him for a moment. "What stops me from escaping?"

"If you do, the next time you're captured…we hand you over." Fury stepped in, his expression unchanging.

"F-Fine." Susanna glared at them. "I'll do it…"

 **A/N: I know I'm being harsh with S.H.I.E.L.D at the moment, but they have done sketchy things. Hope you enjoy the chapter and had an enjoyable holiday.**


	22. MAGICAL AVENGERS ASSEMBLE

**Chapter Twenty-One: MAGICAL AVENGERS, ASSEMBLE**

"Ok, can someone please explain what happened here?" Lily inquired, staring at her son with a mix of both worry and amusement. She stood in the Hospital Wing, trying her hardest not to laugh at the two others with him. The new 'nanny' Susanna was on his right, in a similar predicament to him, though she was scowling at the person to Harry's left.

"I aimed perfectly!" The man argued, crossing his arms over his chest as he rested against the wall. He wore a black vest with matching trousers and boots. He took off a pair of purple tinted sunglasses, smirking at the two teens. "Mrs Stark, it's a pleasure to meet you." He shook her hand. "My name is Clint Barton, I'm an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D and well, I'm Susanna's bodyguard."

Susanna glared at the man. "Allow me to translate, he's my fucking kidnapper." She noticed the smirk on Harry's face. "Yuk it up, you prick, you've got an arrow in your ass too!"

Lily finally let the laugh out, holding onto her side. Both teenagers were currently on their stomachs, while Madam Pomfrey had been forced to cut part of their trousers off to reveal their pierced buttocks. "I'm sorry." She apologised, turning to Barton. "What exactly happened to them?"

Barton rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Well you see, it all happened so fast…"

"He didn't believe me when I said I could force his arrows off course." Harry explained, shaking his head at the sight of the arrow in Susanna's ass. "He neglected to mention that they were designed to track the intended target!"

Lily bit her lip, her face going slightly red as she held in another laugh. It wasn't the fact that her son was hurt that had her laughing, it was the simple fact that his new overconfidence was the cause. She was starting to believe that Tony and Sirius' personalities were slowly bleeding into Harry's. "Well, you're always telling everyone not to underestimate muggle technology, Harry." She pat his head softly. "Does it hurt?"

"It stings more than hurts." Harry winced a little, relaxing his head against the pillow. "Well, I think it's safe to say I need to work on counters for Barton's arrows."

Barton chuckled, tossing one of the arrows on the pillow beside him. "I could use some new ones, if you're as inventive as Fury claims. He's been singing your praises to the other Directors lately."

Harry was about to open his mouth to respond until he heard Madam Pomfrey count from three. As soon as one passed her lips he screamed as she yanked the arrow from his buttock. "Son of a bitch! That was painful!" He grit his teeth. " _FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!"_ He cursed out in Parseltongue, feeling the wound beginning to mend. "Will that scar..?"

"No." Madam Pomfrey repeated the process with Susanna, listening to a slew of colourful language from the American teenager. "Well, I believe she may need her mouth washed out with some soap after those words." She mended the wound, using a spell to repair their clothing. "As for you, Mr Barton," She turned to the man, brandishing one of his arrows in her hand. "If I have anymore students coming to me with arrows in their bodies, I will stick one of these where the sun doesn't shine! Do you understand me, young man?"

"Yes ma'am." Barton replied with an audible gulp, staring at the elderly with an expression of pure fear. He took the arrow from her hand. "I'll be back on the Quinjet." He left as fast as his feet allowed him, leaving Susanna and Harry behind.

Susanna frowned. "That guy is a fucking jackass." She picked up the arrow he left beside Harry. "Base metal is a mix of titanium and carbon fibre. There's a small opening in the arrow, so I guess it tags us before it begins its tracking feature." She turned it around, examining the fins at the end. "There's a small battery in here, so it can turn with the wind." She smirked. "Impressive." She tossed it to Harry, turning to Lily. "I should probably grab a bottle for Maria, it's nearly time for her midday feed."

Lily nodded to the girl. While she hadn't been the biggest fan of someone being a nanny for her daughter, she had warmed up to the American teen after a few days. While Susanna seemed to be outspoken and blunt, she seemed to genuinely care about the job, and took to it with great enthusiasm. She just needed someone to be there for her, to give her support. "Sounds good. After that why don't you take her on a short stroll? She really loves going around the lake."

Harry's expression darkened at that. "Just be careful to keep her away from the shore…" He made his way out of the Hospital Wing, heading towards the grounds of the school. He heard a few of the students talking about something in the sky. He smirked to himself as he noticed Tony was flying around the air, dodging several attacks from his stepson's drones. "You're starting to slip, Tony. Might be time to hang up the suit." He spoke softly, hearing Tony chuckle in his air.

"Kid, these drones are nothing." Tony activated the air brakes on the suit. As soon as he was behind the drones, he aimed one shot towards each of the drones. "Looks like they might need some repairs." He smirked.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Actually, you should've watched the containment fields." He pointed out, tapping the electrostatic charges.

Tony found the suit falling to the ground, wincing as the power rapidly fell. "Ok, good job." He activated the pulse charge, gasping as his arc reactor flared back to life. "Dammit, you're starting to get too good at that." He chuckled.

Harry shrugged, checking on the drones. "Not bad, you only clipped the wings. Should only take me a few hours to repair the brunt of the damage." He grabbed most of the drones, allowing Tony to carry the rest. "I'm going to recruit the next two members today." He said softly.

"Really?" Tony frowned. "The Third Task is only a month and a half away, Harry. You should be focusing on that for now." He entered the lab, placing the drones down. "Besides, why would you want Mutants on the team? They aren't exactly known to allow outsiders into their ranks. How did you arrange a meeting with Xavier anyway?"

"Wagner and Pryde are known for their abilities, Tony. As for Charles Xavier, I wrote to him." Harry fixed his new equipment into place. The full suit gauntlet wasn't exactly the easiest thing to carry around, so, Harry had made some upgrades to the system. The gauntlet now only made its way from his hand to the elbow, while a small chest piece carried several of the new crystals he had designed. When not in use, the chest piece changed into an everyday school bag that looked inconspicuous when he carried it around. "Now, S.H.I.E.L.D's managed to get me a portkey to their New York office, so I should be going."

"Does your mom know about this?" Tony asked, crossing his arms.

"I should hope so." Harry replied, fixing the bag around his shoulders. "She's coming with me. This way we can kill two birds with one stone. She's working on the new building in New York. Stark Tower is hopefully going to be up and running by 2012."

"Great." Tony grinned. He checked his watch. "You know what? I haven't been stateside in a while. I need to grab Happy. We've gotten permission to let him in on the secret, so he's coming along to be our driver."

Harry frowned at that. "That's a big security risk. I like Happy, but he does have a habit of being a bit of a talker, especially when there's a broad involved." He chuckled, adjusting his wristwatch to the time in New York. "We'll be having breakfast with Xavier and Hank McCoy."

Tony's eyes lit up slightly. "THE Hank McCoy?" He asked incredulously. "He's one of the greatest minds in the field of mutations and genetics at the moment. Not to mention he's also one of the biggest legislators of mutant rights in the Eastern United States."

"I know." Harry smirked. "Get your arse into gear then. We leave in twenty."

 **-HS-**

The Charles Xavier School for Gifted Students was something else to look at in Harry's opinion. While writing to the Professor, he had quickly stated his intentions and explained to the best of his abilities what they were working on. He had received a letter in return, welcoming him to the school for a meeting. They had been ushered into a large kitchen once they entered, which was occupied by several students.

The Professor wasn't an easy one to miss. He sat at the head of the table, chuckling with several of the students over one of his old stories. His eyes quickly moved to the new arrivals. "Ah, everyone. This is Harry Potter, he's going to be our guest for the next few hours. Harry here believes that he has found an offshoot of the X-Gene that he has called the M-Gene." He ignored the cacophony of noises coming from both the students' minds and mouths. "Please, have a seat." Harry nodded, sitting across from one of the students. As soon as he did, a plate of food began to materialise in front of him. "Amanda, I keep telling you not to do that." He remarked with a hint of sternness. "Forgive her, Mr Potter. Amanda's mutation allows her to alter the atomic structure of anything she can think of. She's become somewhat of a chef lately."

Harry took a bite of the food, raising an eyebrow. "Wow, this tastes like bad chicken." He remarked with a look of disgust.

"Damn, I was going for salmon…" Amanda pouted, robbing a piece of bacon. "Why can't I ever recreate the taste?"

Xavier's stern look was soon replaced with a soft hearty laugh. "I believe it comes from your focus." He commented, turning his head to Harry. "Now, why don't you tell us about this 'M-Gene', Mr Potter."

Harry took a sip of the water that had been provided to him, clearing his throat. "Well, I believe that it's older than the X-Gene. From your own research, you've marked the oldest known mutant to have existed in Ancient Egypt in and around 3,000BC. From my own research, I've discovered people who have held the M-Gene dating back to as far as 6,500 to 7,000BC. The main difference between the genes lies within the effect. The X-Gene's activation seems to be a combination of puberty and extreme emotional distress. The M-Gene on the other hand, seems to come from a slight mutation to the body's ability to absorb energy."

Xavier took a long drink from his cup of coffee. "Interesting, and what does the M-Gene do to the body?"

"In layman's terms, it creates energy." Harry cleared his throat again. It had been a nasty habit he picked up whenever he was nervous, and he was extremely nervous at this point. Besides the fact that he was about to complete break all laws of the Statute of Secrecy and the rules that S.H.I.E.L.D had set down for him, he was terrified of his mother's reaction to telling muggles the truth. "In my people's explanation…it turns us into wizards and witches." He drew his wand, transfiguring the plate into a small puppy. After a few seconds he changed it back, wiping his forehead. "Sorry, inanimate to sentient transfiguration isn't my strong point, so I tend to exert more energy than I should…"

Xavier smiled softly at him. "Impressive." He whispered, noticing that the students were staring at the young man with a mix of both amazement and apprehension. "I always wondered what made the X-Gene mutate as it did. Could it be that the M-Gene is the genetic grandfather of the X-Gene?"

"No." Harry shook his head politely. "The X-Gene affects DNA at a mitochondrial level, while the M-Gene affects the entire double helix in several different ways. The X-Gene and M-Gene are similar in many different ways, but they are not related in the same way as our ordinary brethren. You consider yourself to be Homo Mutantis, while we consider ourselves to be Homo Magi. And like Homo Mutantis, we are able to breed safely with Homo Sapiens."

Xavier finished his breakfast, wiping his mouth with a servette. The young man had managed to discover another link between mutants and humans. Of course the link was a small one, since it just meant that the Homo Mutantis wasn't the only offshoot of Homo Sapien, but seemed to be one of an undisclosed amount, many of which could have died out over the centuries. "Why don't you tell me why you have come here today, Mr Potter?"

Harry nodded. "I'm a member of S.H.I.E.L.D," He took one final breath. "I'm a member of a special offshoot of S.H.I.E.L.D that has been commissioned to test the power of magicals in the field. I have a dossier of different potential members of what they call the Magical Avengers. My plan is to make that team a mixture of mutants and magicals instead. I'm here to recruit the services of Katherine Pryde and Kurt Wagner."

Xavier raised an eyebrow, taking a small sip of his coffee. "I see." He stroked his chin for a moment. "And why have you chosen those two exact members of our family?"

Harry took out the folders. "Katherine has field experience, a lot of it to be truthful. She's spent time with members of your team that taught her a plethora of different combat and stealth techniques." He passed the folders to Xavier. "As for Kurt, I've spent several weeks thinking about his mutation. I know that he's spent a lot of time stuck within these walls, unless yourself or Ms Gray would blend him into a crowd." He took out a small spherical container. "This is a gift for Kurt, regardless of his decision."

At the last mention of his name, a blue puff of smoke appeared Xavier, revealing the blue mutant. "That's not right!" He frowned. "I am not a circus act! I was a headliner, not a mere act!" His arms crossed as his eyes moved towards the sphere. It opened up, uncovering a small watch. He raised his eyebrow, placing the watch on. "Now what?"

Harry gestured to the small button on the side of the watch. "Press the button on your right."

Kurt did so, shrugging once it was done. "What was the point of that?" He asked, hearing several small gasps from the students around the table. "What?"

Xavier watched in amazement. "I never would have dreamed." He whispered out, holding his hand out. "Amanda." As soon as the girl's name left his lips a mirror appeared within his hand. "Kurt, take a look."

Kurt reluctantly took the mirror into his hand. He was never a fan of taking a look at his face. Too many bad memories sprang to his head as he let the mirror fall. His face was pale. He caught the mirror, bringing it back to his face. His teeth were no longer fanged, nor were his ears pointed. His hair was shoulder length, though kept the blue colour that had once covered his body. His eyes had turned to a gentle blue hue, while his fingers and body were normal. "H-How..?"

"Most of it works off of magical illusion runes and a self powering battery. Several of my classmates helped me with the runic array." Harry smiled at the older teen. "I couldn't do much for the tail however, so you'll have to keep it hidden yourself. You have full use of your powers while wearing the watch, and the disguise can be dropped at a moment's notice."

Kurt disappeared, reappearing behind Harry. Before the younger teen could say a word he was wrapped into a tight hug by the teen. "Thank you!" He grinned, letting him go. "I am in your debt."

Harry shook his head, a large grin on his face. "There's no debt needed." He tapped the small scar on his forehead. "I know what it's like for someone to look upon you as if you were a freak. I'd like that gift to just be proof that I am a friend to mutant kind."

Xavier nodded. "Kurt. Mr Potter here is working on his own team. He's offered entrance to both you and Katherine."

Kurt's eyes widened. "You want me to join a team?!" He asked, his entire demeanour becoming lighter and lighter as he thought about the idea of being in public. "What would you need of two mutants?"

Harry smiled, noticing that the second person had joined the crowd, though she was keeping a distance and seemed to be waiting for his response to Kurt's question. This would be it. The culmination of weeks of research and practicing the speech. "I need people with experience. Right now, I have myself and a thief who spent her life on the streets. While we're both intelligent enough to know that we need to work together, we have no proper field training, nor do we have any idea of how to form proper tactics or how to actually be part of a team. I need the help of both Kurt and Katherine because though I may be arrogant, I am in no way idiotic. Nightcrawler and Shadowcat aren't just two mutants we want to make our team look diversified. I _need_ them because they can be the backbone of our team." He tossed a small orb towards the woman. "I'm offering you the chance to be the leader of our team. What do you say to being part of our team, Katherine?"

She opened the orb, taking out a strange looking cube. "What does this do?"

"It measures your power level, and stops your body from being stuck within the phasic state between solid matter and non solid." Harry explained. "Part of your file mentioned that you've spent a large portion of your life being stuck in a state in between. If you ever start to become stuck in this in between state again, this cube will shock your body back into the solid world."

She placed the cube in her pocket. "My name is Kitty Pryde, though you already know that. You know more about me than we know about you." She pointed out, making her way over to him. "Here's what I want to know. Who are you? How do I know I can trust you? How do I know S.H.I.E.L.D won't just lock us up whenever they don't need us?"

Harry gave her a small smile. "Because if they tried it, I'd blast them all to nothingness. You are being asked to join this team at my request. Though I may be the youngest member of our team, I can promise you that S.H.I.E.L.D will never do anything to piss me off, because they need me right now. Without me, their greatest project is stuck within a limbo state. I know you've had bad experiences with non-mutants, Ms Pryde. Just as I have had my problems with non-magicals." He bridged the gap between them. "Join our team, and one day…magicals and mutants will stand alongside humans. All will be equal."

Kitty smirked. "That'll be the day."

Harry's smile slowly grew wider. "Ms Pryde, you've yet to deal with the famous Potter Luck." He winked, turning his head to Xavier. "Their cover will be two exchange students, one from the Salem Academy of Witchcraft and the other from the Bulgarian Academy of Magic and Duelling." He handed the two of them a slim piece of wood. "Fake wands. They can't use any real magic, but they can simulate most of the effects through light and technology. You've twenty four hours to decide. After that, if you need to contact me, I'll have to schedule a new meeting." He wiped his mouth with the napkin, shaking Xavier's hand. "I must be going, Professor. My stepfather however would like to speak to Mr McCoy about something."

Xavier smiled at the young man, nodding his head. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr Potter. And know that our door is always open to you. I'd personally like to speak to you again at your earliest convenience about the M-Gene."

Harry nodded. "Of course, Professor." He handed him a small card. "I'm available to speak on a conference call whenever you're free, but it'll be at least two months before I'll be stateside again." He walked out with Lily, noticing her quietness. "It had to be done."

"Hundreds of years, Harry." She spoke softly, though her voice was strained. "If the I.C.W ever caught wind of what you're proposing, you would be tried and executed for treason!"

Harry smirked to himself, keeping pace beside her. "I suppose I should probably tell you my plan then." He opened up a file on his datapad, scanning through the reports. "There's been 2,590,000 small infractions of the Statute of Secrecy within the last five years. The I.C.W reckons that a quarter million muggles a year lose their minds because of multiple uses of memory charms." He turned the corner with her, watching the feed from the drones. "Right now there are five thousand magicals in a mile radius, Mum. How many of them do you think will cause an infraction today?"

Lily frowned. "I don't know, Harry."

"It's estimated every one in ten. That's five hundred infractions today in this area today alone." Harry stopped at one of the benches of Central Park, taking a seat. "A mile and a half away from here is one of nine Centaur Sanctuaries in the United States of America. Six of them are in the midwest, two of them are on the west coast, one is here and one is in Alaska. In the last hundred years four wars have raged around the world, two by them and two by us." He whispered. "Eventually, that line will be broken, and there will be only one of us left." He ran a hand through his hair, glancing up at the buildings. "We're outnumbered one hundred to one. Out gunned ten times that more. We need to end the secrecy."

Lily listened to her son as he talked, wrapping her arm around him. "Your father and I used to have talks like this." She admitted. "We'd think about ways to help the two worlds meld, but we fell short every time." She chuckled softly, kissing his forehead. "Soon enough, it will end in a war, but we need to think carefully. You're starting by going to another group similar to ours. One that _did_ go public and has been vilified for doing so. I think we both need to think carefully before we continue down this line of work. Introduce the mutants to our kind slowly. Start with Xavier and his school, but remember that they are not the only faction of mutants."

Harry nodded. "I will. Remember, it's in _all_ our best interests for the two worlds to meld. Even though there are multiple factions to think of."

 **-HS-**

It took the two mutants less than three hours to make a decision. They had agreed to join the team under the agreement it would be a trial of one year. If they didn't like the way things were going, then they'd simply return to New York. After a lovely speech from Xavier and the rest of the instructors from the Xavier School for Gifted Children they had went towards the large building in the area. The Quinjet had them back to England faster than it had before.

Harry brought them to their rooms, striking their names from the list he carried around. "That's everyone. J.A.R.V.I.S any news?"

" _Sir, there's an intruder in your lab."_

Harry sprinted towards his lab. He ran into Jarvis on the way and soon the two of them were bursting into the door. "Whoever you are, raise your hands!" He ordered, pointing his wand at the man.

The figure smirked, holding his hands up. "I have no qualm with you, boy. All I want is my property, and that property is within your hands."

Harry activated the gauntlet, aiming his left hand near the man. "I'm no thief, so why don't you tell me who the fuck you are?!"

The man stepped forward, eliciting a gasp from Jarvis. "Edmin? You haven't aged a day old friend." He spoke softly.

"It's impossible, y-you're dead!" Jarvis frowned, moving closer to him. He touched the man's face for a moment, quickly replacing his hand with a punch to the nose. "You bastard! It's been forty years!"

"Jarvis, who is this?" Harry asked.

"His name is Blade." Jarvis frowned. "A man who should be fucking dead…"

Harry pointed his wand towards the man. "Well then, maybe he could shine some light on how he's still in the land of the living."

 **A/N: Ok, so I don't know how many of you are new to my stories, since I've never done comic stuff before, so I think you deserve to know why it took so long. I suffer from bilateral sciatica, which means I've both my sciatic nerves trapped around my spine. It causes great pain at times for me, so I can't exactly write/function/do anything during this time. It's been a while since I've updated because of that, but I'm working on a few projects now. I meant to say this in the last chapter, but it completely slipped my mind. I've several fics in the works that'll be posted soon. I know that a lot of you would be worried by that, but never fear, I will never abandon this story. However, I will be deleting 'A Better Life' soon, since I'm working on a re-write for it that I believe will be a better story than the old one.**

 **I'm also taking on a few new challenges, most of which won't be up for a month or so to be honest. The first fic I'll be posting soon will be a short story known as the Harry Potter Parody. Be sure to check the profile once in a while for when it drops.**

 **Peace out my friends, and please review so I can know if you love/hate/want to kill me.**


	23. The Third Task

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Third Task

Blade sat at the small kitchen table, staring as his friend poured tea for the two of them. He hadn't expected to see the man looking so old. Then again, he had been MIA since the 70s. He took a small sip of the tea, watching his friend's expressions change every few seconds. "I couldn't tell you." He finally spoke after a few minutes, messing with the cup. "We both know Director Stone wasn't going to let a goddamn vampire walk out of that building!"

Jarvis rubbed his forehead, thinking back to that fateful day. "She mourned you. Worse than any of us, she mourned you. She blamed herself for the whole operation, though we both know that Stone was just looking for an excuse to disband us." He took a small sip of his tea, closing his eyes for a short moment. "She's the one who locked the swords away. She didn't want your legacy to be taken apart in some lab by techies who would just melt them down."

Blade chuckled. "She was a special girl, Peg." He removed his glasses, shaking his head. "I can't believe you're still alive old friend. And in such good condition."

"The serum was burning faster than my body could handle it." Jarvis took out a small bottle of brandy he kept for special occasions. He poured the two of them a small dram, pushing one towards him. "After one more infusion, I decided that I'd stop taking it. My body burns through one millilitre of serum every week, as long as I don't overexert myself or try to do any of the heroic things. My aging has started to slow down when I hit my fifties, so that was an added bonus." His smile turned sad, like he was trying to forget. "I lost dear sweet Anna seven years ago, and Peggy was placed in a care home five years ago," He downed his scotch. "Most days she doesn't know what decade it is. I've visited on occasions and she thinks we're still trying to fight against Leviathan or we have to start working on the groundwork of S.H.I.E.L.D…"

Blade downed the scotch, shaking his head. "Would my blood help?" He inquired, staring at the elderly man. It hadn't been spoken about since the 60s and he knew it was a risky venture, but for Peggy Carter, it was no problem.

"Blade, we can't consider something like that." Jarvis frowned. "How would we explain it?"

Blade smirked at him. "It was easy for me to fake my death, old friend, and I'm a semi-immortal being that ages one year for every five. It would be easy for me to fake her death." He finished his tea. "If it gives Peg her mind back, it would be a small sacrifice."

"She has family, Blade!" Jarvis snapped out. "People who would mourn her death, like she mourned yours." He reminded the man, scowling at him fiercely. "If you really want to help, go and see her. Give her some closure. Let her know that a failed mission didn't result in the death of her friend."

Blade stood from the table, placing the swords back into their scabbards. "It was good to see you, Edmin." He shook the man's hand. "And if you ever need my help, just call this number." He placed a small card in front of him. "And just so you know, we never got the last one. I know you're retired now, and serving Howard's son for some reason, but if you ever need some adventure in your life, I wouldn't mind taking you along for the ride."

Jarvis chuckled, placing the glasses and cups in the sink. "Sorry old friend, but I do believe my days of fighting are done. But, please feel free to come by whenever you're free. I have so few friends alive that it would be nice to have someone to reminisce with." He smiled sadly, shaking his head. "I, well I hope you find your target."

"Don't worry," Blade grinned, placing his sunglasses back on. "I plan to." He opened the door, leaving the compound. As soon as he left the area, he made his way towards the mountains, sniffing the air. "Damn. Why do unicorns have to live so close to mountains?" He ignored the killing instinct, moving away from the castle.

 **-HS-**

Kitty stared around at the school with a look of pure disbelief on her face. The floating candles were a walking safety hazard, especially the ones that floated near the staff table. Though apparently, they were to be phased out with the electricity taking centre reign. The enchanted ceiling was nice, but she could have done without the multitude of owls flying around the place. She hated flying creatures so much. The food was nice, and the fact that it would appear with the taste that it was supposed to was a great change.

Harry was an enigma to her. On one hand, he was someone with a high IQ and ambition. But on the other he was a fourteen-year old who was currently lip syncing over whatever song was playing on his iPod. She didn't know why she agreed to become part of a team based around teenagers. Especially one run by S.H.I.E.L.D of all people. She hated the damn organisation with a passion. The final straw for her had to be the annexation of Genosha in '08. That was the day that she lost her faith in humanity. She wasn't happy to admit it, but a small part of her wanted to join the Brotherhood of Mutants after that.

Kurt seemed cheerier in her opinion, but then again everything was new to him. He was finally able to just walk around other people without them insulting him. She was happy for him, he deserved it. She didn't have much contact with the hyperactive teen. He worked with the junior branch of the X-Men, while she had been working with the proper X-men. She took a sip of the orangey liquid, sniffing it before taking a sip. Who the hell drank pumpkin juice? Who thought it was a good idea to juice pumpkins in the first place?

She was roused from her thoughts by the sounds of a gunshot. "What the fuck?!" She ducked under the table, glancing out to see that one of the boys at her table had blown up his cup.

Harry burst out laughing at the sight of Seamus's eyebrow less face. "For the love of sweet Jesus, Shay. Can you go one day without blowing half the school up?"

"Shut up, Harry!" Seamus snapped out, wiping the soot from his face. He turned to the new girl, shrugging his shoulders. "Was trying to turn my water into wine. Managed to make it into grape juice."

"Isn't that nearly the same thing?" Kitty asked, clutching at her chest.

"Wine has alcohol in it." Seamus chuckled weakly. "Now, why don't you give it a try?"

Harry watched her for a second, trying to think of a good excuse. He watched as Kitty waved her wand around the water, which did nothing. "Transfiguration isn't my speciality. I'm more of a duelling expert." She shrugged her shoulders at him. "That's why I dropped it after my O.W.L equivalent. I focus on Duelling, Potions, DADA and Astronomy."

Seamus frowned. "Damn. Can't drop Transfiguration in Hogwarts, not even after the O. ." He took a sip of the juice, his face changing into a look of repulsion. "Tastes like vinegar and it's non-alcoholic. I should market it to pregnant women."

Kitty laughed a little at that, shaking her head. "Or people with no taste buds." She liked these people. Unlike the kids at school, they weren't constantly bemoaning the fact that their lives were forever changed. She knew there was a time for them to come to terms with their new lives, but she didn't want to listen to them every day. These students were doing what Xavier wanted his students to do. They were living.

 **-HS-**

Harry scanned the area around the maze, frowning for a moment. Whoever designed the maze was smart enough to put it under a form of the Fidelius Charm. He noticed the lack of screens or anything that would allow the spectators to actually witness the task at hand. He began to move towards the entrance area, scanning the wards around it. He knew it wasn't something the others would look kindly at, but the nightmares were starting to come back, and he swore he could feel elation whenever they spoke of the plans.

He didn't like speaking to anyone about the dreams, it would do nothing but worry them. "J.A.R.V.I.S, can you sense anything out of the ordinary?"

"Negative. Though there has been a small area designed to allow the use of a Portkey. Apparently, the Tri-Wizard Cup itself is the way to get out of the maze." J.A.R.V.I.S went through the drones one by one, examining several different areas. "The ward scheme is extremely impressive. I do believe that the scheme is a Dumbledore creation. It matches several known schemes on record, but one or two aspects do not add up."

Harry frowned. "Such as?"

"The small opening was designed to not only allow the use of a Portkey, but to get through the Hogwarts Ward System itself. The record shows that the four Headmasters did agree to deactivate a small section in the event of grievous bodily harm." J.A.R.V.I.S moved to another system, scanning the final data schematics. "The maze seems to be perfectly safe, sir."

Harry nodded, deactivating the drones. He pulled his hood up, activating the earpiece. "Nightcrawler, one to pick up."

Kurt appeared behind him, grabbing onto him. He popped the two of them to the Quinjet lab, grinning as they landed. "That was a fun exercise." He grabbed the watch from the charging station, returning to his non-mutant persona. "I love this thing. I must ask you, why are we working on the Third Task?"

Harry frowned. "Simple. The second the Tri-Wizard Tournament ends, I've to return the gauntlet to S.H.I.E.L.D so they can use it for their magical section. I don't really want to hand it back to them, so I have to make sure it stays in the possession of magicals. I've never thought much of S.H.I.E.L.D to be perfectly honest, but we need to work with them until I can get us all out from under their foot." He crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. "Kurt, I didn't want to drag you, Susanna and Kitty into this, but I need strong allies to make this happen."

Kurt stroked his chin. "I don't like this, Harry." He admitted, circling around. "On the one hand, we are talking about the one thing all mutants want more than anything, to be seen as human beings again." He ran a hand through his hair. "But, I…I was raised in the belief that to go behind the backs of people, to lie and to do things such as that…" He sighed. "It is an affront towards God."

"You're religious?" Harry asked curiously.

"Roman Catholic." Kurt chuckled weakly, sitting on one of the counters. "The circus I was raised in, they were all religious. Freaks like us tended to stick together. I was raised by people like us, Harry. Outcasts."

Harry nodded, staring over at the gauntlet. "I wasn't raised by people like us. I was raised by bigots. Ones who saw anything non-human as abominations." He chuckled humourlessly. "Though I must say, the idea of religion never appealed to me." He turned his gaze towards Kurt. "Don't worry, Kurt. We'll make sure that we do enough good to counteract the sins we'll be forced to do."

Kurt grinned a little. "Sounds good." He glanced over at the wall. "It's rude to eavesdrop, Katherine."

Kitty frowned. "I told you not to call me that, Kurt." She phased through the rest of the wall. "How did you know I was there anyway?"

"I could see your ear phasing through every few seconds." Kurt smirked.

Kitty frowned, turning to Harry. "Ok, so what's the plan to keep the gauntlet out of the hands of S.H.I.E.L.D?"

Harry tapped the command console, bringing up the crappy map of the maze. "I'm going to win the tournament. If I can win it, then I may be able to prove myself as the true owner of the gauntlet."

Kitty nodded. "We should train then. Do you have a training room?"

"I do." Harry smiled.

Kitty just smirked. "Time to put you boys through some Danger Room training."

 **-HS-**

Harry sat in the Great Hall, smiling as his family sat around him. Today was the day. He felt nervous, but after today he'd be able to relax for a few weeks. The Gauntlet was charged and ready, as were all of his drones and a couple of new inventions. He spared a glance over at the other Champions, realising that they were just as nervous as he was. He didn't know what he was nervous for. He had a plan in mind and he wasn't exactly planning to win the tournament. All he wanted to do was survive. He didn't care about such trivial things as fame and fortune. He just wanted to get this crap over with and focus on the summer. It was going to be a hard enough one thanks to S.H.I.E.L.D and the research he'd been working on.

Krum was on the other side of him, muttering to himself in Bulgarian. He didn't bother trying to listen in to whatever he was saying, it wasn't any of his business. Fleur was on his other side, checking over her wand's condition before flashing him a little smile. Cedric was sitting by himself, his eyes closed in deep concentration. He seemed to be the only one who truly looked disturbed about the Final Task. Unlike the others, Harry wasn't worried about anything. He knew his plan. He had been methodical in his planning, focusing on every spell he could think of. He couldn't just rely on his tech skills, not for this challenge. If they wanted a wizard to show off their magical power, then Hogwarts was about to get a huge show. This was it. He wasn't going to back down.

It hadn't been about winning when he first found out he had been entered into the tournament, but that had changed. This was his chance to shed his old life, to truly put the abused boy to rest for the rest of his life. This was the beginning of the new life for Harry James Potter. A new beginning for his mother. A new beginning for everyone. He glanced up at the stands, smiling at the sight of Hermione holding Maria up. The fact that Maria's little Babygro said 'Potter #1' had his spirits raised immensely. He took a deep, jumping slightly as the cannon went off prematurely.

"Welcome one and all to the Third and Final Task of the 1994-95 Tri-Wizard Tournament!" Dumbledore's cheerful voice called out throughout the stands. "Now before we begin, I must apologise for the short-sightedness of our promoters. Thanks to Stark Industries, we have several drones surveying the area above the maze to give everyone a clear view of everything that's about to unfold." A loud cheer went through the stadium as the screens appeared. "Now, onto the Task itself." He raised his hands to quiet the stands. "In the centre of this maze, the Tri-Wizard Cup rests waiting for one of our Champions to retrieve it. The first to grasp the Cup into their hands will be crowned the winner. But beware, for this is no ordinary maze. All manner of creatures and enchantments await our four Champions." He gestured to the four teenagers. "Each of our Champions will enter the maze in a different location, based upon their current score. Viktor Krum, who currently leads with 98 points, shall enter on the North Entrance. Fleur Delacour, who trails in second with 85 points, will be placed in the Eastern Entrance. Cedric Diggory shall be entering through the Western Entrance. While Harry Potter will enter through the Southern Entrance."

Harry stared at his fellow competitors, smiling at them with a nod of his head. This was it. It was going to be hard. The Southern Entrance must be the one with the most traps. It made sense to him. Reward those in front and handicap those trailing behind. He fixed the Gauntlet in place, adjusting the chest piece as he made his way towards the Southern Entrance. Once all the competitors were in place, the cannon sounded again, and he entered the maze, watching as the branches closed around him. He held his wand in his right hand, aiming the Gauntlet forward with his left. The first minutes were tense and he didn't really know how to proceed. The branches were clearly semi-sentient, as they constantly shifted their position.

"Just like the stairs in the school." He muttered to himself, staring around. "Even the most chaotic of creatures have patterns to their movements." He carefully observed each side of him, waiting for the perfect time to jump through one of the gaps. After five minutes of staring at the same wall, he hopped through the smallest gap he could find, glancing around at the new area he had entered. "Oh shit…" He gulped as he stared down several glowing red eyes.

"J.A.R.V.I.S, report." He held his left arm up.

" _Unknown creatures, sir."_ J.A.R.V.I.S reported. _"Scans of their biologically physiology seems to be a hybrid of several different creatures. The glowing eyes seem to indicate either Japanese Kappa or similar creatures. From the height, they seem to have some giant or troll DNA. I cannot identify any other items sir, but they are resistant to magic."_

Harry closed his eyes. "Great." He mumbled to himself, hopping away from a fireball. "Great, they shoot fire too." He sighed. "This has to be one of Hagrid's bright ideas. I'm going to kill him if I get out of this one alive." He dodged several fireballs, activating the water rune. He blasted several streams of water towards the creatures. "Hopefully their bodies require ambient heat to create fire." He twisted the dial, activating one of the new rune crystals. "Please let this work." He twisted his hand, releasing a large tornado."

 **-HS-**

"An amazing show of rune work by our youngest contestant." Ludo Bagman called out from his position. "I do believe that was a combination of several intricate spells."

Dumbledore nodded his head. "Indeed, I do believe that the basis for it is a N.E.W.T level spell used to create a small vacuum of air. But to see it swirling around in such a powerful fashion would indicate that the runes have been supercharged." He turned his attention to one of the other screens. "Oh dear, it seems like the French Champion has run into the Boggarts."

Ludo glanced at the other screen. "Wow, she's having a hard time of it."

 **-HS-**

Harry rolled away from another burst of fire, aiming the lightning crystal towards the creatures. "Whatever these things are, I'm starting to want one as a pet." He chuckled to himself, blasting an arc of lightning at the creature. "Great, they've weather resistant shells." He shook his head, aiming his wand at the ground. "Reducto!" He shouted, destroying the ground around them. He sprinted around the corner, staring at the sight of a large sphinx. "For the love of god, who the fuck organised this event?" He stared up at a camera. "You lot need some serious help!" He shouted.

"I don't think the cameras have sound, human." The Sphinx chuckled. "And I am not part of the task, simply a messenger of what's to come."

"Excuse me?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"There's a great evil at the end of this maze. One that cannot be allowed to flourish." The Sphinx bared its teeth. "My apology human, but for the good of the world, you must die!" It charged towards him, swiping its massive claws.

Harry dodged the swipe, aiming the Gauntlet at the creature. "What is it? The great evil?" He asked, dodging more attacks. This was a bad fucking day. Why didn't he just feign injury and send sparks up? Oh yeah, he was a fucking idiot. He dipped around the Sphinx's tail, aiming his wand at it. "Petrificus Totalus!"

The Sphinx brushed the spell away, glaring at him. "I do not want to kill you, human, but I must for the good of the world. Please, just face your death with honour." The creature pleaded with him. "Do not make this harder than it has to be."

Harry frowned. "Just tell me what it is!" He shouted.

"A creature that should be dead. One that the ancients themselves could not stop if they wanted to." The Sphinx frowned. "One that should not exist!"

"Voldemort?" Harry asked.

"That is what the creature calls itself." The Sphinx nodded. "You must die, human. I'm sorry."

Harry lowered his wand. "Do it then. What's one life in the grand scheme of things?" He deactivated the Gauntlet. If he could stop Voldemort, so be it. "End my life, and end his chances." He said softly. "Do it!" He shouted.

The Sphinx grinned, changing shape into what looked like a translucent entity. "You passed the trial, human." The spirit spoke softly. "Go forward, and do what needs to be done."

Harry nodded, following the path. "They brought in fucking mind reading spirits." He mumbled to himself, staring in disbelief at the sight of the Tri-Wizard Cup. "This is too easy." He frowned, noticing that the cameras around him were gone. He flicked his tongue around the inside of his mouth, trying not to overreact to the situation. He activated the Gauntlet's communication system. "Tony, can you hear me?"

" _Kid, you're off the grid. What's happening?"_ Tony asked him.

"I'm at the centre of the maze. Tony I did a quick scan of the maze before I entered. The maze shouldn't be this small. I should have only reached the southwestern area by now." Harry stared around at the hedges, which were closing in around the area he now stood. "And whoever led me here, has boxed me in."

" _Red sparks, now."_ Tony ordered him.

"Not going to work. I think they've sectioned this part of the maze away from me." Harry frowned. "I'm going to grab the cup. I've activated the GPS on the Gauntlet. Suit up and follow the signal. And…don't tell Mum. I don't want her to worry."

Tony bit the inside of his cheek. _"Got it."_ He ended the communication, activating the suit's beacon. He kissed Lily's cheek. "Just heading to the bathroom." He smiled, moving towards the castle. "J.A.R.V.I.S, I want you to focus on the kid. Keep him alive." He got into the suit, frowning. "And set the Gauntlet's camera to record."

" _Sir? The Gauntlet doesn't have a camera."_ J.A.R.V.I.S responded.

"It does. Authorisation Stark Olympus 4." Tony brought up the suits built in guidance system. "Little Hangleton. Stay strong kid, I'm on the way."

 **-D-**

Harry groaned as he opened his eyes. "Oh, you've got to be fucking joking?!" He stared over at Pettigrew. "Hey Wormtail, killed any innocent muggles lately?"

Peter glared at him. "Shut up, boy!" He gagged him, tightening the ropes around the headstone. "Just sit back, and enjoy the ride." He chuckled darkly. He moved towards the large bubbling cauldron, picking up the infant body of Voldemort. "Master, are you prepared?"

Voldemort's cold laugh filled the air. "Yes, you fool, do it now!" He commanded.

Peter dropped the Dark Lord's body into the cauldron, grinning as he picked up the wand. "Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you shall revive your son." He brought up one of the decrepit bones from the old grave, lowering it into the cauldron. He took a deep breath, releasing a large dagger from the sheath. "F-Flesh of the servant, freely sacrificed, you shall revive your master."

Harry watched in horror as Wormtail sliced off his own hand. It was absolute lunacy. This couldn't be happening. Why didn't he follow the warning?

Peter moved towards him, grinning widely. "Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you shall revive your enemy." He sliced Harry's arm, collecting the blood on the dagger. He moved to the cauldron, dropping the blood into the cauldron. "With these ingredients, the Dark Lord shall rise, again!"

Harry moved the Gauntlet into position, blasting the ropes away. He froze as the cauldron exploded, revealing what had to be the most terrifying sight he had ever seen in his life. The Dark Lord's body was barely human. His skin was deathly pale, with an almost albino pigment to it. His face was devoid of a nose or hair, which gave him a serpentine appearance. His eyes were crimson red, and almost glowed with power. "Voldemort…"

Voldemort chuckled darkly, conjuring a simple robe around himself. He took his wand from Wormtail. "I'll be with you in a moment, Harry." He erected a barrier around them. "Your arm, Wormtail!"

"Master, thank you, Master." Peter held out the stub of what used to be his right hand.

"Your other hand, Wormtail!" Voldemort hissed out in frustration. He pressed the wand into the Dark Mark, grinning darkly as several people appeared before him. "Ah, my 'loyal' followers." He pulled them into the barrier. "Thirteen years! It's been thirteen years since that faithful night. Since I was forced to leave my body." He aimed his wand at the first of men. "And what do I hear, that my so called 'loyal' Death Eaters had turned traitor!" He swiped the mask away from the figure. "I put you under the Imperius, Lucius?!" He asked, his voice dripping with contempt.

"They were dark days, Milord." Lucius paled significantly. This was not looking good for him. "Aurors were arresting our side left, right and centre. Any who claimed loyalty to you were forced into Azkaban! Bellatrix, Rodolphus, Rabastan, Augustus, Antonin. All of them rot in prison because of their loyalty. But we," He gestured towards the others, taking deep breaths. "We did the smart thing. We raised our children with your philosophy. We ensured that when you did return, that you would have followers with gold, influence and a myriad of everything else you would need to take over. We are the not the ones who betrayed you, Milord. The ones who foolishly sang to the heavens about their crimes. Who will need to work in shadows, because of their own stupidity. We are the ones who can work in the light."

Harry scoffed. "Please, you're the ones who were too pussy to handle the Dementors." He moved towards them. "And as for Wormtail, the only reason he's here, is because he's a cowardly shit." He turned to Voldemort. "Do you know he begged me not to allow my godfather to kill him? That he said he had no choice?" He smirked. "You surround yourself with sycophants and peacocks." He didn't know where the hell this was coming from, but he could see it was doing the trick. Voldemort seemed to be pondering on what was being said. "And look at Malfoy, his influence is only as big as his purse, both of which have taken heavy beatings over the years."

Voldemort chuckled. "I knew it was a good idea to pick you, Potter." He aimed his wand at him. "Crucio!" He cast with fanatical glee.

Harry collapsed to the ground, but he did not scream. His body felt like burning hot knives were piercing his very nerves. His body felt like it had combusted. He glared up at the so called Dark Lord, aiming the Gauntlet at him. "Incendio!" He shouted, releasing a barrage of flames towards Voldemort.

Voldemort dodged the fire, frowning. The boy could do wandless magic? Why wasn't he told about this? "Impressive, Harry. But it matters not. You will die on this day. And reunite with your filthy muggleborn mother."

Harry burst out laughing. "Fucking hell. Has no one kept you up to date?" He asked rhetorically. "My mother is alive. In fact, there's been a lot of shit you've missed." He shook his head, aiming his wand towards the group. "This is between me and him, do not get in my way." He activated the drones, sectioning off a large portion of the area.

Voldemort gave a cold chuckle, aiming his wand towards him. "I'll make it quick." He promised his foe. "Avada Kedavra!"

Harry smirked as his wand simply moved. "Allow me to explain what has just happened." He gestured to the four drones flying around them. "These magic resistant drones each have a heavy duty warding crystal that's designed to absorb magically energy." He deactivated the Gauntlet. "Which means, this fight, is just between us." He put his fists up, throwing a quick jab to Voldemort's side.

Voldemort grimaced as he felt the hit to his ribs. He grabbed the boy by the arm, swinging him around. "You want to fight like muggles? So be it!" He shouted, kicking him in the ribs. "I used to fight with my fists all the time, boy. You don't live in an orphanage without learning how to survive." He cracked his knuckles. "None of you interfere, I want to enjoy this."

"Shit." Harry dodged two punches, kicking the Dark Lord in the stomach. He moved back, watching as the Death Eaters began throwing stones at the drones. They wouldn't be able to withstand a lot of attacks, but they'd last long enough for him to make an impression. "And you don't live my life without knowing how to dodge a punch. Let's dance, Tom." He spat out some blood, grinning.

Voldemort glared at him. "I see you've taken a history lesson." He chuckled, grabbing Harry by the hair. He landed two harsh blows to his face, shattering his glasses. "I was fighting seventeen year olds when I was six!" He shouted. "Managed to put the fear of god into them." He threw the boy into one of the headstones. "You are nothing but a fool, Potter. And once I'm done here, you'll be nothing but a blood stain."

Harry stood up, cracking his neck. "J.A.R.V.I.S, can you activate the new goggles?" He asked.

" _Affirmative."_

Harry grinned, watching the new goggles materialise from the Gauntlet. He dodged a punch, kneeing the Dark Lord in the crotch. He took great joy in the look of pain on the man's face. He kicked him in the stomach, dodging a rock from one of the Death Eaters. "You're nothing but a fool, Tom. You proclaim yourself as many different things, but you will not ever be a Lord. You just sit in the shadow of the true Lords." He kicked him in the face, watching the blood leak from his face. "You proclaim yourself as some sort of a god, but I've just proved one thing."

"And what's that?" Voldemort spat out blood, wiping his mouth.

"Gods can bleed." He finished his statement with a hard punch to where his nose used to be. He watched as the blood pooled to the ground. He turned to the other Death Eaters, noticing that one of the drones was starting to falter. He recalled them, sending a large blasting curse towards the ground. "Gotta go! Tommy, it's been fun!" He ran towards the Cup.

"Sectumsempra!" Riddle shouted from the top of his lungs, aiming his wand at Harry's head.

Harry jumped out of the way of the unknown spell, wincing as it hit his arm. He grabbed the cup, noticing a speck in the distance. "I'm inbound to Hogwarts, hurry up!"

Tony nodded his head, flying past. He grabbed onto the one unmasked robed man. "I'll meet you there. This prick's going to answer some questions." He knocked the man out.

Harry smirked. "Got it." He activated the Portkey, feeling himself being pulled away back to the school. He held the cup up, noticing the worried face of Dumbledore. He moved over to him. "He's back." He whispered. "Say nothing and follow me to the Hospital Wing." He winced as he spoke. Definitely had a broken rib. Maybe two. He made his way towards Madam Pomfrey, giving her a cheeky grin. "Your favourite patient is here."

 **-D-**

Dumbledore entered the Hospital Wing, placing his hand over his mouth to supress the gasp that was threatening to escape. Harry's body was beaten and bruised, but the hardest thing for everyone to see was the fact his left arm sat beside him on the bed, completely severed. He carefully walked over to him, his eyes glistening with tears. "Oh, dear boy…" He knelt down, staring at the shocked teenager. "What spell did this?"

"I…" He gulped, staring at his severed arm. "It was one I never heard of." He felt his mother's hand on his own, soothing him as best she could. "Sectumsempra." He whispered the word.

Lily's eyes hardened. "That's Sev's spell." She whispered, shaking with rage. "Is there anything we can do?" She asked Pomfrey, trying to keep her anger in check. She was going to sever Snape's head the second she saw him.

"No." Madam Pomfrey shook her head sadly. "The damage was too severe. It's impossible to reattach the arm. Skele-gro wouldn't work either, the dark magic would prevent it."

Harry stared at her. "It felt fine. How did this happen?"

" _The Gauntlet had a fitted system to allow movement. The damage wasn't evident until the unit was removed."_

Harry closed his eyes, stopping the tears from flowing. He let out a weak chuckle. "I'm more pissed about the t-shirt. It was expensive." He sniffled. "Though I got it on sale, it only cost me an arm."

Lily looked at him, smiling weakly. "That's a stupid joke. I'd expect it from Sirius." She hugged him tightly, letting her own tears fall. "Oh, Harry…" She sobbed softly.

Tony walked in, staring at Harry and Lily. "What happened?" He asked, tossing Lucius onto one of the beds. "Malfoy here has been a pain in the ass."

Harry was about to retort when Fudge barged his way into the room. "Albus! Why is Potter sitting there with one arm?" He asked, noticing the man on the other bed. "And what's Lucius doing here?" He asked.

Harry stared at Malfoy, grinning. "Voldemort's back, Minister. He was about to put Mr. Malfoy under the Imperius again, but I stopped him." He watched everyone around him stare at him with shock. "Tony brought him here while I took the Portkey. I have video evidence of his return. Mr. Malfoy was trying to convince him he was loyal, to stop himself from being killed. It was thanks to him that I managed to get away."

Fudge stared at him. "Is this true, Lucius?"

Lucius blinked. What was the boy playing at? "Y-Yes, Minister. The Dark Lord is back." He knew his Master would be displeased, but he was starting to get a sinking feeling that he wouldn't see the next day.

"We found Moody." Sirius entered the room. "He was an imposter. You were right, Albus."

"Professor...?" Harry asked weakly.

"Alastor was an imposter." Dumbledore frowned. "I noticed he was forgetting important key words he once told me whenever we were speaking. I had Sirius look into the matter discretely. After all, he's one of the last living Aurors who was personally trained by Moody. Who was it, my boy?"

"Barty Crouch." Sirius walked over to them. "Barty Crouch Junior. But the last I heard he was dead."

"He is." Fudge snapped. "He died a few weeks after entering Azkaban. He stopped eating and drinking…"

"He's alive. I have Remus keeping guard with Hagrid." Sirius frowned. "Harry?" He moved to his godson. "Mate I know I told you to start spending some of the Black fortune, but you took the phrase 'an arm and a leg' pretty seriously."

Harry chuckled weakly. "My joke was better." He sniffled, finally bursting out in tears.

Fudge stared at the boy. "He's being truthful, isn't he…? Voldemort's back?"

Dumbledore nodded. "We'll review his footage tomorrow. Let the boy rest, Cornelius."

"Of course," He moved over to the boy. "Sleep well, Harry."

Dumbledore smiled. "We'll also keep Lucius safe. We'll have him checked for injuries and the like."

Fudge nodded. "Ok. Good evening to all."

Harry waited until Fudge left before he dried his eyes. He made his way over to Malfoy, glaring at him. "You belong to me now." He spoke coldly, with a tone that none of them had ever heard from him. "If I tell you to jump, then you jump. I tell you to die, then you'll smile as you slit your throat." He gripped the man's throat. "I tell you I'm coming over to fuck your wife, you're going to tell me to wait an hour while you prepare your bedroom for me." He forced the man against the wall.

"And what makes you think I'll do anything you say?" Lucius choked out.

"Simple, because if you try and fuck around. I've enough evidence to have you executed." Harry turned to his mother. "I need your help." He let Lucius go. "Congratulations, Lucius. You've just become my spy in Voldemort's ranks. You either swear an Unbreakable Vow to me, right now, or you go to Azkaban for a quick snog off a Dementor."

Lucius glared at him, gripping his arm. "You'll pay for this, Potter."

Harry smirked. "Mother, if you'll please be the caster." He gripped Malfoy's arm tightly. "I believe that he'll have to pledge his loyalty to me and to spy on the Dark Lord. To give all information he can get from the Death Eaters. To never harm a muggle or muggleborn again. To protect the very lives, he despises."

Lily smiled as he spoke. He was a quick thinker. She had to be proud because he obviously got it from her.

 **Another chapter done. Next chapter, the summer and the beginning of the S.H.I.E.L.D arc.**


	24. Elric

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Elric**

Harry woke the next day, sighing as he looked over at his stumped shoulder. The dreamless sleep potion had been a huge help, but he didn't really know what to do. Months of planning had just gone out the fucking window, all because of his own stupidity. All he had to do was activate the anti-magic barrier and escape, but no, he just _had_ to prove a point to Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Arrogance was starting to become his undoing, and it totally Sirius and Tony's fault. Bastards had to give him some self-confidence. He placed the new glasses on, sitting up as slowly as he could. He hated being in the Hospital Wing, but what choice did he have at the moment? He noticed he was still topless. "Hello? Anyone here?"

"Ah, you're finally awake." Madam Pomfrey smiled at the young man, bringing over a selection of potions. "I've been monitoring your condition all night. It was touch and go near the end. The dark magic had really taken a number on your body, Mr. Potter. But you'll be happy to know that we were able to stabilise you with minimal problems." Her smile faltered. "Sadly, there's still nothing we can do with your arm…"

Harry sighed, rubbing his eyes. "It's ok." He sat down again, running a hand through his hair. He shook his head for a moment, downing the potions without a complaint. "Where's Malfoy?"

"Dumbledore brought him to his office. Something about reviewing footage." Pomfrey frowned. She could never get Potter to take a potion willingly. The poor boy really was in a bad place. "I think you should eat something, Harry." She brought over the breakfast. "You need to keep your strength up."

Harry nodded, eating the food without a word. He didn't know what the hell to do. His plans called for a lot of things, but the loss of a limb wasn't one of them. He grabbed the last of the potions, staring at it for a moment. "Is this a painkiller?"

"Yes." Madam Pomfrey frowned, watching as he moved it away. "Mr. Potter," She began sternly. "You just lost a limb. There is a large chance that you'll begin to experience phantom pains. You need to take those painkillers."

"No." Harry stood up, grabbing the top at the end of the bed. It was awkward, and took a lot more time then he usually needed, but he managed to get the top on after a few seconds. "I need to get to my lab. Without being seen. Did my mother leave a cloak here by any chance?"

Madam Pomfrey nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. "I don't agree with a teenager owning an invisibility cloak, but I'm going to overlook it this once. But if I hear about Miss Granger falling pregnant, I will ensure you marry her before you pass out from shock."

Harry smirked a little. "Understood." He chuckled, throwing the cloak over himself. "Don't worry. I think my own mother will kill me if I make her a grandmother before Maria's out of nappies." He smiled, bowing his head before allowing it to vanish.

 **-HS-**

The door to the lab wasn't sealed, but Harry was happy to see the Gauntlet in place. He sat down at the control console. "J.A.R.V.I.S, you and I have to get ready. We've a lot of work to do. I need you to lockdown the lab and activate the Theta protocol."

" _Are you sure, sir?"_ J.A.R.V.I.S asked.

"Positive." Harry pressed the button to activate the control panel. "Like I said, we've a lot of work to do."

 **-HS-**

Voldemort frowned as he sat upon the chair in Malfoy Manor. He couldn't believe that the boy was so powerful, nor could he believe the changes that the Wizarding World had taken since he last walked the land. The fact that the Wizarding World now had electricity and the Ministry of Magic had opened its arms for the changes didn't sit well with the self-proclaimed Dark Lord. He didn't know how the boy had gained so much political favour. He took a sip of the firewhiskey, swirling the liquid around the glass. The magic blocking technology was already something he would have to be wary of. The idea of his Death Eaters not being able to cast magic was a terrifying prospect.

"Lucius, my slippery friend." He chuckled darkly. "Pray tell, how have you escaped from the grasps of Potter?"

"Potter was gravely injured, Milord." Lucius bowed his head, avoiding eye contact for the moment. "I managed to convince that fool Fudge that I was about to put under the Imperius Curse." He let out a soft laugh. "Unfortunately, Milord, we have had to announce your return." He clenched his fists, anticipating the curse that never came. "Milord?"

"You did well, Lucius." Voldemort stood from his chair, wandlessly rising Lucius from his feet. "We've much work to do, my slippery little friend." He patted the man on the shoulder. "I want you to work as my connection within the Ministry. I want you to check for Wizengamot members that could be, sympathetic to our cause." He didn't know why, but his mind had become so much sharper than it had been before. "Once you've rooted them out, make small conversations about the cause, and why they should join."

Lucius nodded his head, stroking his chin as they walked. This would throw a wrench into Potter's plans, but he would have to think of something that would allow him information. "Of course, Milord." He took a glance at the Death Eaters gathered. "Is there anything else you require of me, Milord?"

"Yes." Voldemort nodded. "I wish for your son and any of his friends that know Potter to draw me up a profile of his strengths and weaknesses." He paced around the room, stopping once he thought about something. "I also wish for you to personally look into the boy's past."

Lucius bowed his head. "It shall be done, Milord." He walked from the room. "Sir, there's to be a raid on all known Imperiused Death Eaters from the war. It may be beneficial for you to create a new headquarters, somewhere you cannot be found."

Voldemort smiled. "I understand." He bowed his head. He moved towards the door of the house, thinking for several moments. "I want you all to go to London in two weeks' time. I have the perfect idea of where to live." He smirked. It was time to return to the old orphanage. He did hold the deed to the building after all.

Lucius sat down once the Dark Lord left, frowning at the sight of all the Death Eaters. "Get to your houses and hide whatever dark objects you have somewhere safe. The raids begin in an hour." He warned them, watching as they fled his home. He took a shuddering breath. "Damocles!" He shouted the name of the Potter House-Elf.

"Master Harry's little pet calls?" Damocles chuckled as he appeared in front of Malfoy. "How the mighty have fallen." He shook his head, watching the man. "What information to do have, Malfoy?"

"Tell him that the Dark Lord has tasked me to be his personal liaison to the Wizengamot. I am to root out the sympathisers and bring them into the fold." He poured himself a glass of brandy, taking a small sip of it. "Draco is to write out a profile on your Master. Tell him that it may be productive if he wrote one himself."

Damocles bowed his head. "Master Harry has told me to inform you of your next orders. You are to write a list of all known Death Eaters, both incarcerated and free." He sighed. "Have it ready within a week. Master Harry is to speak before the Wizengamot in one week's time. "

Lucius nodded. "So be it." He finished his brandy. "How is the boy's arm?" He asked curiously. He didn't know why he was asking. He didn't exactly like the little bastard.

"Master Harry's managed to lock himself away from everyone. He only relayed my orders under the machines." Damocles frowned. "He won't talk to anyone, not even Mistress Lily."

Lucius watched as the elf left, pouring himself another drink. He didn't really want to do anything else. He watched Narcissa walking in, her signature scowl on her face. "I don't want to hear it."

Narcissa shook her head. "I'm not going to say anything, but I think you owe Harry for what he's done for you."

Lucius scowled. "If the little shit hadn't lost his arm to the Dark Lord, I would've severed it myself." He finished his brandy, gulping as he noticed Narcissa's face darkening.

"His arm is gone?" Narcissa slapped his head. "You are a really bastard. What if it had been our Draco who lost his arm?"

Lucius rubbed the back of his head. "Then I'd probably slowly torture the man who did it." He sighed as he watched her expression soften. "It's gone from the shoulder. The Dark Lord used one of Severus' old spells." He moved his arm around her as she sat on the edge of the chair. "I've been instructed by Potter to write down all Death Eaters." He closed his eyes. "I want you to deliver it to him tomorrow. After all, you and the blood traitor are his legal counsel."

Narcissa frowned. "May I remind you that you are not to call her that anymore?" She didn't like that part of Lucius' attitude, and she would ensure that he was going to lose it by the time Harry's plans were in place. She didn't want her husband and son to be left behind in the old world. Not with the plans that Lily was talking about. The way Harry spoke about things seemed to indicate that he was planning something big.

Lucius glared at her for a moment. "Your cousin may have reinstated her into the family, but Andromeda Tonks will always be a blood traitor to me." He said with a huge sense of conviction.

Narcissa removed his arm from her shoulders. "Then maybe I should go and live with the blood traitor for a while, so I don't lower the standing of the house." She made her way to the bedroom, packing some clothes. Let the little bastard live without her for a while. She had an invitation to the Starks for a while now. A week in the States would be just the thing she needed. She grabbed some paper, scribbling down every Death Eater name she remembered from the last war. It wouldn't be much, but it'd be a nice start until Lucius did his own list. She walked towards Draco's room, sticking her head in. "Come on, we're going on a trip."

 **-HS-**

Harry removed the bandages from the stumped remains of what had once been his shoulder's socket. The flesh had healed, thanks to Madam Pomfrey's use of the counter-curse, but he knew it'd be impossible to replace it with living flesh. "J.A.R.V.I.S, what's the status of the internal nerves?"

" _Several were destroyed in the attack, but the Gauntlet's servos were able to compensate the movements. The main nerve that ran along your arm was severed to the joint. This will not be easy to do, sir. Are you sure we shouldn't contact Mr. Stark?"_

"No." Harry shook his head. "This has to be done by me." He wasn't going to waste time with other people for this, not when he had to continue the plans. He walked over to the Gauntlet, smirking a little. "Remove all crystals from the hand piece and the dial. Then I want you to outfit with the components marked on the third mainframe."

" _Understood, sir."_

Harry brought up the next set of blueprints. "I need the clothing to be of high quality. What have we got in the vaults?"

" _Abalone shell armour, sir."_ J.A.R.V.I.S replied. _"A clever little invention from Research and Development in Stark Industries. The armour itself is thin and durable, with added modifications. The experimental use of Abalone shell was approved by a now defunct research scientist."_

"What was his name?" Harry asked curiously.

" _Unknown."_ J.A.R.V.I.S scanned the mainframes. _"Odd. The data regarding the entire project was scrubbed from the server. The prototype was placed in the vault however."_

Harry brought up the data from the prototype. "It's designed for a well-built adult man." He silently cursed. "It'd be useless for someone my size."

" _Actually sir, the material is designed to mould to the wearer's body."_

Harry grinned a little. "I see." He picked up one of the smaller inventions he had been working on, placing it near his neck. "Contact Stark Industries." He smirked, sitting back in a chair. "This is Tony, I need to speak to the head of R&D." He adjusted the pitch slightly. "And make it snappy, I have things to do today."

" _Putting you through now, sir."_ The voice on the other end spoke, starting some crappy hold music. _"This is R &D."_

"Hey," Harry stared at the name that appeared on the screen. "Bobby, how's the wife?"

" _She's fine, Mr. Stark."_ The man spoke nervously. _"What do you need, sir?"_

"Prototype 5-JBA-00." Harry spoke. "I need it sent to this location by tomorrow. Authorisation Stark Gamma 6."

" _Sir, this facility isn't listed on your approved labs."_

"It's a new one. The wife and I are heading to Monaco for a weekend, so I want the kid to do something creative. He's been bugging me about high strength fibre." Harry smirked a little. He was starting to make a really convincing Tony. "The lab is the kid's new one. It's off the books, so I'll be sending a specialised drone to pick it up."

" _You got it, sir."_ Bob nodded. _"We'll have it ready in an hour."_

"The drone will be there in about three." Harry smiled to himself. "You're a star, Bob. Most important person in the company."

" _Thanks, Mr. Stark."_ Bob stammered out.

Harry ended the call, placing the voice modulator on the table. "J.A.R.V.I.S, call my mother."

" _Harry?"_

"Hey Mum. I'm going to be in my new lab for the weekend. Don't worry, I have Damocles bringing me meals." Harry brought up several different items that would need to be fabricated. "I'm also going to need Tony to send me the Jag."

" _Harry, this is madness. We haven't seen you since the other night."_ Lily's voice sounded pained, and it broke his heart. _"Please, come home…"_

Harry closed his eyes. "I promise, I'll be back on Monday. Just have the Jag sent to the following coordinates. I'll see you on Monday."

Lily wiped her eyes as she spoke. _"Monday."_ She warned him. _"Be in New York for Monday. Hermione's with me. Want to talk to her?"_

Harry bit the inside of his cheek. He wanted to, but he couldn't right now. "Tell her I love her. And tell her, the plans haven't changed."

" _Ok baby. I love you."_ Lily whispered.

"Love you too, Mum." Harry ended the call, wiping a tear from his eye. "J.A.R.V.I.S, activate the Quinjet's main thrusters. Move this lab to Location Bravo."

" _Understood."_

 **-HS-**

Harry grabbed the last of the materials once they arrived, grinning to himself. He opened the box, grabbing the material. "Can it take paint, J?" He asked curiously. The material was nice, but the colour was disgusting. "Also, have my lists arrived?"

" _Damocles has brought them to your new study, sir."_

Harry smiled. "Perfect." He put the material on the table, staring around. The lab was one of Howard Stark's oldest known hideaways. The last time it had been used was sometime around the 90s, when Tony modernised it for the time. Harry had taken several steps to modernise the lab further during the year. Tony had gifted it to him for Christmas, so he decided to use it for the time being. Most of the equipment was ancient, but what he had managed to get in was enough for him to do what he needed. He'd start completely the restoration when he had the time. "J, bring me up to speed with the Daily Prophet, what's the spin?"

" _According to reports, the Auror department has decided to bring in a new conscription policy for cadets. They've decided to lower the training from three years to fifteen months."_

"That's not a good idea." Harry frowned. "They'll have fuck all training." He tapped into one of the older S.H.I.E.L.D mainframes, grinning to himself. "J, I need your help. Input the following seventeen-digit code into the new S.H.I.E.L.D training facility in D.C., I think Kitty, Kurt and Susanna are there."

" _Understood, sir."_

Harry moved towards the centre console. It was a pain in the ass working with only a right hand, but he was starting to get used to it. There had been a time when his left hand was the faster one for typing and most other things, but he was going to have to adapt for now. He brought up the framework for the new project. The work itself was going to be easy, but the equipment needed was going to be a lot harder, especially with S.H.I.E.L.D breathing down his neck. "J.A.R.V.I.S, has Tony managed to break through the new protocols I've installed in you yet?"

" _No sir, but it's not for a lack of trying."_ J.A.R.V.I.S did an internal scan of its systems. _"Right now, he has managed to get through the three false firewalls you've placed around my systems. Estimated time before he breaks through the rest: Seventeen and a half hours. Whatever you're planning to do, do it fast."_

"That's the plan." Harry brought up the new system. "How long to fabricate and wire the whole thing?"

" _Fourteen hours, with an additional two hours needed for the second phase of the plan."_

Harry smiled. "Do it." He got out of the seat, heading towards his own Research and Development Department. He took a look at the two lists. One had been drawn up by Narcissa, and it was less than complete, but the other one had several names he wasn't expecting.

 _Bellatrix Lestrange_

 _Rodolphus Lestrange_

 _Rabastan Lestrange_

 _Augustus Rookwood_

 _Corban Yaxley_

 _William Travers_

 _Fenrir Greyback_

 _Antonin Dolohov_

 _Severus Snape_

 _Peter Pettigrew_

 _Lucius Malfoy_

 _Vincent Crabbe Senior_

 _Gregory Goyle Senior_

 _Alecto and Amycus Carrow_

 _Julius Avery_

 _Barty Crouch Junior_

 _Robert Gibbon_

 _Daniel Jugson_

There had been other names to be added. Lucius was being smart. He knew he couldn't give up all the names right away, he had to stay relevant. It was amusing that both he and Narcissa wrote down his name on the list. He turned towards some of the gear he had stashed away before he left the school. Most of it was non-important prototypes he didn't want the S.H.I.E.L.D eggheads trying to steal, but other parts were important. He wired the new circuits to the machinery, flipping the final switch. "And that should do it." He placed the new armour onto the system. "Black. Plain and simple." He grinned to himself, spraying the material.

" _Sir, the metallic skeletal system has been integrated into the shell casing. We've hit one small snag. The wiring is more advanced than the machines can handle."_

Harry frowned. "I'll be down in a minute. Knew I should've upgraded to the new model, but no, I had to go for the extra broadband strength." He walked down to the main lab, grabbing a soldering iron and a wrench. "You do realise I only have one arm, right?" He placed the wrench in his mouth, putting the soldering iron on his lap once he sat down. He grabbed the first of the wires, moving it into place. He carefully held it in place with his foot as he soldered the wire. "One down, ninety-nine to go…"

 **-HS-**

Hermione sat on the large penthouse roof, sighing to herself as she stared out at New York City. She didn't know what to do at that point. Harry was hiding from everyone, trying to fix everything by himself. She didn't want to think of him off somewhere by himself, not being able to do anything but blame himself. Their plans were something she was beginning to enjoy planning. Made her feel like they were secret agents. Now with Kitty, Kurt and Susanna under armed guard in some facility, she didn't know who to talk to. The Weasleys would be visiting soon, and she hoped Harry would be there for it.

She sipped on the cup of cocoa Jarvis had brought out to her, thinking of the past year. Harry's intelligence was something she couldn't believe, but she was happy that he had it. His new way of acting was something she took some getting used to. Harry had always been a timid and shy young man, now, he was an overconfident jackass at times, but it suited him in a sense. He had a flamboyant way of having fun and proving himself as something, even when others tried to stop him.

She stared out at the skyline, smiling to herself. He had become something she never expected. A bit of a renegade. And Merlin help her, she was actually starting to enjoy that about him. The bad boy part of him was attractive, almost in a primal sense. She hated her hormones sometimes.

"Penny for your thoughts?" A voice cut out.

Hermione stared up at a figure dressed in black. Whoever it was had a voice modulator on and some form of apparatus guarding part of his face. All she could see was a pair of piercing golden eyes and a few wisps of matching hair. "Who are you? How did you get up here?"

The figure chuckled. "A friend." He jumped down, landing on his feet. "More than a friend actually." He smirked to himself, moving towards her. "Call me, Elric." He bowed his head, staring into her eyes. "And I do believe it's a crime for a beautiful lady such as yourself to be here by your lonesome. Your boyfriend is some piece of work for not being here with you."

"And what makes you think I have a boyfriend?" Hermione challenged the figure.

"If you don't, then I'd be very surprised, a beauty such as yourself." He moved part of the apparatus, kissing her hand gently.

"I could have a girlfriend." Hermione pointed out. This person was certainly a charmer, almost to the point that he was opening trying to flirt with her.

"Ah, then she is not deserving of your love." Elric smirked. "Leaving you to my tender mercies."

"If it wasn't for the fact you've a left arm, I'd think you were my Harry." Hermione smiled. "He's a cheesy sod too."

Elric chuckled. "Ah, so that's the name of your love." He stepped around her. "And what makes you think I'm not this man?"

Hermione held out her wand, frowning. "Expelliarmus!" She shouted from the top of her lungs.

Elric held out his left arm, catching the red light. "Not bad." He tossed it aside easily. He removed the mask, smirking at her. "But seriously, Mione? A disarming spell?"

Hermione froze at the sight of the man in front of her. "Harry?!" She shouted, hugging him tightly. "Your arm!"

Everyone ran out at the screaming mention of his name. Harry smiled at them all, removing the armour plates. Everyone stared in shock. Where his missing arm was now lay an arm of pure polished steel. It had several runes carved around it, some of which were currently gently glowing. His eyes had returned to their usual green hue, and his hair returned to the raven black he was famous. "Everyone have a good weekend? Mine was hectic." He smirked, kissing Hermione's cheek. "I mean at one point I was like a one-armed bandit." He moved towards the group. "Where's the rest of my team?"

"Fury's ordered to keep them under control and sedated at the command of the S.H.I.E.L.D Directors. He was outvoted nine to one." Tony frowned. "They're in D.C., under heavy armed guard."

Harry fixed his glasses into place. "Good." He smirked to himself. "Gives me a chance to test out everything. J.A.R.V.I.S is back under your control, Tony. I thank you for all you've done for me." He hugged his mother. "You once told me, that you and Dad knew that the world had to change." He smiled sadly. "Voldemort's back, and we have to make sure that he doesn't get too strong." He frowned. "So, until I save my team, until we have a plan." He clenched his fist. "We have to work in the fringes of what's right and wrong." He turned to Tony. "Get them out of America, now! My set up's in your dad's old place, bring them there. I've already ordered Happy and Rhodes to meet us there. Happy's getting the Weasleys."

Lily frowned. "What are you going to do?" She knew his answer, but she had to ask.

"I'm going to break every rule in the book and save my team. My friends." Harry smiled. He put the mask back on. It covered his mouth and part of his nose. His hair was able to hide the scar and powerful charms on the mask changed his eye colour to pure golden irises.

"Where'd you get the stupid name?" Hermione chuckled.

"Pokémon has always been your addiction my love, but mine has been Fullmetal Alchemist. I may have both my legs, but Edward and I do share a fake arm." Harry turned away from them. "And thanks to Mr. Elric's fine name, I can strike fear into the hearts of our enemies." He hopped off the building, grinning.

Lily ran to the edge, staring over at nothing. "How did he do that?"

"I wish I knew." Hermione let out a breath of air fanning herself with her hand. "Oh Merlin, that was hot. He's really starting to tease me."

 **-HS-**

The facility itself was hidden in plain sight. S.H.I.E.L.D may be a bunch of manipulative shadow arseholes, but they did have some style in hidden bases. He walked up the fire escape, activating the goggles. "Speak to me."

" _The area has several high strength energy fields around it."_ The robotic voice called out. _"Why not simply use J.A.R.V.I.S, Harry?"_

"I want to test you out. Now are you going to man up or what? And it's Elric when we're in the field." Elric moved his gaze towards the energy fields. Stark tech.

" _Does that make me Alphonse or Winry?"_ The program chuckled.

"I still have to think of a name for you, but the personality matrix worked out perfectly." Elric fixed the location on his map. "Ok, here's the plan. I need you to hack into their mainframe."

" _I don't have access. J.A.R.V.I.S is Stark tech, that's the only reason he can access anything."_

Elric nodded. "Well, then we're going to have to do this the hard way. Access my music library. I'm thinking Zeppelin."

" _Immigrant Song, coming your way."_

Elric pulled the small device from his pocket. Technically it was still in the experimental in Stark Industries, but he had managed to perfect it thanks to a few runes and charms. He tossed it towards the open window, transporting towards the orb. He glanced around, noticing several laser tripwires. "How do we get you access?"

" _Plug my hardware into any of their mainframes and I'll be able to give myself access to all of their systems."_

Elric activated a small localised EMP burst towards the tripwires. He made his way over to the security console, bringing up the locations of his friends. "Nightcrawler's the closest." He brought up the security system, grinning to himself. "Why don't you make yourself at home?" He plugged the new system into the computer console.

" _Ooh baby, that's the good stuff."_ The program downloaded the entire system into. _"I got in."_ Files appeared before Harry. _"We better hurry up. They're going to be moved to a new facility in an hour."_

Elric ejected the drive, stopping at a door. "Time to make some noise. Play the track!" He kicked the door in, grabbing a guard by the neck. He threw the guard towards the closest guard to him, knocking them both out. He punched the gun out of the third guard's hand, gripping him by the throat. "I'll ask once, where is the phasing mutant and the witch?"

"L-Lower levels…" The guard coughed out.

Elric knocked his head off the wall, placing the unconscious guard on the ground. He kicked the control panel of the door, entering Nightcrawler's cell. "Kurtis, I need you to relax."

"Who are you?" Kurt asked, staring around at the mysterious figure.

"A friend." Elric destroyed the energy field with an EMP burst. "We have to rescue Katherine and Susanna. Hurry."

Kurt appeared behind him. "We better make a move on if we're going to make it." He grabbed his watch from the counter. "Can't forget this. My friend gave it to me."

Elric smiled from behind the mask. "Sounds like a good friend."

"He is. And we need to find him." Kurt disappeared, returning after a few seconds. "Six guards, two of them armed with tranquiliser guns."

Elric smirked. "Great. Sounds like my idea of a party. I'll take point. You cover me." He ran out, knocking two of the guards out with a swing of his left fist. He moved towards one of the armed guards, ignoring the darts currently being shot into his chest. "You'll need more than that." He grabbed the gun, shooting the other four. "Any others?"

"No." Kurt frowned. "Who are you? There are no cameras here."

Elric smirked. "I can't tell you here, Kurtis, the ears have walls. But rest assured, I'm a friend of mutant kind." He made his way to the lower levels with him. "Stand back." He threw one of the improvised EMP grenades into the room. He opened the other cells, grabbing the sedated women. "Kurt, bring them to the roof. I'll follow you up in a second."

Kurtis nodded, holding them close. "Thank you, friend." He smiled, vanishing with them.

Elric accessed the final server. "I need you to upload the virus."

" _You got it boss."_

Elric ran to the roof, staring at the three of them. "Are you ready?"

Kurt frowned. "Where are, where are we going to go? We're fugitives."

Elric removed his mask. "I need you all to trust me." He kept the voice modulator on, placing his finger against his lips.

Kurt smiled at him. "Of course, lead the way." He held onto the three of them, vanishing a block away.

 **-HS-**

Harry removed the arm from his body, placing it the large container. "Contact Fury." He watched as Nick's face came into view.

"You're looking pretty annoyed, Fury." Harry chuckled a little. "We just had a guy break in to deliver Kurt, Kitty and Susanna from one of your facilities. I'd like to know what my team were doing there?"

"Something has come up." Fury frowned. "I need to speak with you in person."

Harry smirked. "Ok. Be in London, tomorrow." He brought up several names. "Tell the Board of Directors that because of the unlawful detention of Susanna, the Magical World shall be keeping possession of the Gauntlet."

"Not going to happen, Harry. Besides, you've no arm to use it."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I don't need to use it personally, but it'll be locked in my laboratory for the foreseeable future." He shut down the link. "Lock it all down, I want everything hidden away."

" _As you command, sir."_

"Drop the attitude." Harry smirked. "This is going to be serious."

" _I like that name, Sirius."_

"I'm not naming you after my godfather." Harry thought for a moment, grasping the locket around his neck. "How about, Prongs?"

" _P.R.O.N.G.S,"_ The program thought for a moment. _"Perfected Reliable On-board Navigation and Guidance System, at your service."_

Harry smiled. "Perfect. P.R.O.N.G.S, I need you to lockdown anything to do with Elric and store the data on your server."

" _You got it, boss."_

Harry smirked to himself, heading towards the lift. He'd have to make sure Fury got to him in one piece. While he didn't exactly trust S.H.I.E.L.D, both Tony and Jarvis vouched for Fury, so he'd at least give him the benefit of the doubt. This once.

 **-HS-**

Nick had been on time, something that he enjoyed about the man. Harry stood in the crowd, smirking to himself as he placed the transmitter on Fury's back. He blended back into the crowd, activating the earpiece. "If you can hear me, then move towards the coordinates that just appeared on your phone."

Fury frowned. "You got it." He said softly, moving towards the café. He took a seat at the assigned table, noticing that the place was relatively packed for the time of day.

"I'm sure you and I have a lot to talk about. We'll start with the Gauntlet." Harry sat down, refusing to stare at him for a few seconds. He ordered a cup of coffee, playing with the salt shaker on the table. "As far as you and your little S.H.I.E.L.D buddies are concerned, the Gauntlet was destroyed in Little Hangleton Graveyard. If you have a problem with that, then S.H.I.E.L.D's personal servers will be made public knowledge." He smirked as he watched Fury's frown deepen. "And yes, before you ask we are still on the same side, but that doesn't mean that I have to do a fucking thing you say. As far as I'm concerned, you're nothing but an asset at the moment. I'll work with you, as will my team, but as far as S.H.I.E.L.D protocols go, we're not going to be following them. You've no jurisdiction in the I.C.W, I checked."

Fury clenched his fist. "Ok." He nodded his head. "How did you do it and where did you get the arm?"

Harry shrugged his right arm. When he was out in public, he wouldn't wear the new prosthetic unless he truly had to. The less people who knew about his return to normality the better. He took a sip of his coffee, staring out the window. "I outfitted the Gauntlet. Removed the crystals and engraved the entire arm with a selection of different runes for different things. After that, all I had to do was create a durable exoskeleton arm and wired it to work like a normal one. How are the guards?"

"None are too bad, just bruised bodies and egos." Fury chuckled.

Harry finished his coffee, handing him a file. "We'll be working out of this location for the time being. When I come back to England, we'll be establishing our base in Potter Manor. The location of which is on a need to know basis."

"Fidelius Charm?" Fury guessed.

Harry just winked at him, standing up. He placed a fiver on the table, fixing the jacket over his shoulders. He was starting to get some looks from some of the patrons. If it wasn't the scar, then it was going to be the fucking lack of an arm. He fixed his glasses in place, turning his gaze to Fury. "And if you attempt to out me as Elric in the wizarding world, then I'll make your life a living hell. The Death Eaters are going to feel the same fear they once placed in the hearts of others." He walked out of the café, turning a corner. The preliminary scan of the area had identified several S.H.I.E.L.D agents. "P.R.O.N.G.S, I want you to initiate a small pulse on their personal frequency."

" _You got it, Slugger."_

Harry rolled his eyes at the nickname, stepping into the car Happy brought around. He fastened his seatbelt, motioning with his hand. "Come on, we've a plane to catch."

Happy chuckled. "One arm missing, still the same amount of attitude."

Harry returned his chuckle, opening the minibar. He opened a small taster of vodka, downing it. He watched Happy's gaze. "Look, I've had a tough week. I'm literally sitting here with an arm missing. One that I cannot wear in public because of the Death Eaters."

"Point taken, kid." Happy began driving, keeping one eye on him at all times. The kid may have lost an arm, but he would lose a lot more if Lily discovered he allowed the little bastard to get drunk in the car.

 **A/N: And so, begins the reign of Elric. At first, I hadn't decided to create a persona for Harry to use, but I think that he needs one at this point. The next chapter will mostly be political, so be warned for that.**


	25. Into the Lion's Den

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Into the Lion's Den**

The day wasn't going to be easy, he knew that from the start. He fixed his hair as best he could, staring at himself in the mirror. The suit was a nice touch, but he wasn't a fan of tying his sleeve into a knot to prove how bad his injuries were. The Wizengamot was going to be his biggest challenge and it was one he had to face without the use of magic, technology or any other form of his usual help. He cracked his knuckles against the wall, trying to remember the finer parts of his speech. He placed his glasses on, taking a deep breath. "Why do I feel like I'm going to puke?"

" _Because you're about to make two extremely difficult speeches to a parliamentary body that consider you nothing more than an injured child who knows nothing about the political world. And Sirius will be there too."_ P.R.O.N.G.S summarised.

"Rhetorical question." Harry rubbed his forehead. He made his way to the kitchen, sitting with his friends and family. The lot of them had different expressions on their faces.

For Kurt and Kitty, the idea of sitting in on an actual magical government meeting was going to be a magical thing. Bless their innocent hearts for thinking such wondrous things. He just didn't have the heart to tell them otherwise. Hermione had her nose in a law book, checking over the written versions of his speech. He smiled at the dedication she gave to him, it was truly an amazing thing and he hoped that it would remain there for the remainder of his life with her. Ron had a stoic look on his face, which was slightly unnerving to him. Ron was always the carefree one of their group after all. Susanna was too busy playing with Maria to give a crap about anything.

He finished the full English that Damocles prepared for him, enjoying the final sip of coffee. "Here's the plan. I want you three to scatter." He pointed to the members of his team. "Susanna, you're going to be at the Eastern Chambers of the room. Kurt, you've got the Southern Entrance. Keep an eye out for anyone reaching for anything. Kitty, you've got the Western Chambers, be extremely careful. That area is prolifically known as the area most old-school politicians sit around." He turned to Hermione and Ron. "You two are going to be Maria's guards in a sense. Mum's taking point on explaining everything that goes on to Hap and Tony."

Hermione passed him the speeches. "I'd be careful near the end, you don't want to alienate any part of the Wizengamot with that part. Think about it when you're on the podium."

Harry nodded, giving her a gentle kiss on the lips. "You'll be arriving after me. I've to leave now." He gave Maria a careful hug, which basically included Susanna in order to support the baby's body. He walked outside, entering the jag. "First stop, to the Leaky Cauldron. We've got to pick up the Headmaster."

Jarvis turned the key into the ignition. "I received a call from Blade last night. While he isn't the most knowledgeable when it comes to the wizarding world, he has assured me that he is looking out for any form of ritual or spell that could restore your arm." He said softly, watching the young man through the mirror.

Harry nodded. "I'll make sure to keep in touch with him then." He watched the scenery go by, focusing on the speech in his mind. Because of everything that had been going on, he had been told this would double as both his evidence giving and the debate about him taking his Lordship a few years early. He felt the car stop outside the Leaky Cauldron, spotting the Headmaster. "How in Merlin's name does he manage to walk around like that?" He asked himself, shaking his head at the odd robes of the Headmaster.

Jarvis gave a polite chuckle as the Headmaster entered the car. "Where exactly is the entrance to this Ministry? Happy usually drives."

Dumbledore chuckled merrily. "The entrance is here," He passed a note towards Jarvis. "We've an hour to get to the Wizengamot, so don't worry about the traffic." He noticed the tied sleeve on Harry's arm. "Still having no luck working on a prosthetic?"

Harry nodded his head. "It's at home, waiting for me to install it. But this speech needs to be done before I attach it to my body." He moved the papers around his knee to straighten them. "This is my only chance to rally people before fear fully grips them, Headmaster. We have to show them what they expect to see, an injured young man who nearly died." He moved his gaze to the Headmaster. "May I ask what your business was at the Penthouse?"

"Extending an invitation to your mother and stepfather." Dumbledore replied neutrally. "And to set up a meeting with you about the use of Potter Manor as a base of operations for the Order of the Phoenix." He watched the young man's face carefully. "We were going to ask Sirius if we could use his family's old home at Grimmauld Place, but he had the house gutted and sold it onto an old acquaintance of his whose daughter recently married. I was hoping we could use Potter Manor."

Harry placed the papers down, frowning as he thought about the idea of a vigilante group operating out of his family's home. "I'd need a list of current members as well as everyone you plan to have join. I'm not exactly going to let complete strangers into my family home." He removed his glasses, wiping his eyes. "I'll also have to contain them to one small section of the Manor. The library and other such important areas would be off limits."

Dumbledore nodded. "That would be acceptable, Harry. A list will be made up for you before the end of the day. I will ask that you keep the note on your person and exercise extreme caution when you have the list." He said, his tone switching to one of extreme caution.

Harry fixed his glasses back into place, returning to the papers in front of him. "I'm going to say this once, Headmaster. I do not need to be warned about the Death Eaters or Voldemort. I'm currently sitting here with one arm, while my nerve was severed to the shoulder blade. I know exactly what the Death Eaters are capable of." His thoughts drifted to Lucius. "And like you, Headmaster, I have my own spy within the Dark Lord's ranks. But unlike your spy, mine will not be named." He passed on a list of names. "Every current Death Eater, both imprisoned and free."

Dumbledore read through the names on the list. It resembled the same list of names that Severus had procured for him, but one or two names were foreign to him. He tucked the list away in one of the numerous pockets his robes contained, staring at the entrance area. "Mr Jarvis, we've arrived at our destination."

Harry placed the papers in the small briefcase he brought with him, stepping out of the car once Jarvis opened the door. He fixed a grin on his face, staring up at the sunny sky. "Well, time to make an entrance."

 **-HS-**

The large open area of the Wizengamot Chambers was impressive in design. While the Ministry itself was well known for the different remodels over the centuries. The main room they were currently in resembled an odd yet beautiful mix of Victorian and Art Deco stylings, with modern additions thanks to the beginning of what was being called the 'Stark Remodel'. Harry stared at the screens littered around the room, nodding his head in approval. He made his way to the centre of the room, clearing his throat. "Scion Harry James Potter, son of James and Lily, Grandson of Charlus and Dorea, here to claim my Family's seat."

Dumbledore smiled to himself as he heard the professional way in which Harry introduced himself. "Ah, Scion Potter, welcome to the Wizengamot Chambers. I am Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, the current Chief Warlock. Please present the Official Request of Accession."

Harry produced a sealed letter from his briefcase, handing it to the Chief Warlock. "Here you are, Chief Warlock."

Dumbledore removed the wax seal, opening the letter. He read through it, nodding to himself as he did. "Lord Sirius Orion Black, you have agreed to sponsor Scion Potter's accession to Lord?"

Sirius stood from his seat, winking down to Harry. "I have, Chief Warlock. You have also received the official paperwork, placing Harry as the De Facto Scion of the Black Family until such time as a Black Heir is born." He noticed a few members of the Wizengamot frowning at the declaration. He loved causing the old bastards to cringe at any given moment. He fixed his suit into place. "I believe we've other business to attend to first, Chief Warlock."

Dumbledore nodded, sighing sadly. "We're here today for two grievous reasons and one hopefully happy reason." He rubbed his forehead. "Barty Crouch Jr escaped custody in Azkaban last night."

Harry's attention instantly became fixed to Dumbledore's. "W-What…?"

"He had apparently smuggled a small vial of Polyjuice Potion into the prison with him." A man to Harry's left replied, his voice gruff and bitter. "He killed one of my men and took his clothing. He escaped the island and no one knows where he is." He frowned. "We're basically fucked. He managed to bring a list of the guards and their next of kin with him."

Dumbledore closed his eyes. "We have to assume that he's going back to the Dark Lord."

"Never assume, Chief Warlock. It makes an ass out of you and me." Sirius smirked to himself. "Crouch is fanatical, to a bloody fault. He's also incredibly intelligent and cunning. The boy wasn't in Ravenclaw for nothing. He's received training from the Dark Lord himself for Merlin's sake."

Harry frowned. "He's also knowledgeable enough to blend into a crowd. There were a number of observations and patterns about both students and teachers." He paced around a little, biting the inside of his cheek. "We're also here to review evidence, Chief Warlock. I don't wish to be rude, but we must show a united front about this whole Voldemort business before we're all considered nothing more than ostriches with our heads in the bloody sand." He was glad he and Tony had the time to alter the fact Lucius wasn't about to put under the Imperius again, it was the only way they could keep the spy on side.

Dumbledore watched Harry carefully. He had managed to simulate both a confidence and elegance within a year that most purebloods struggled to gain within a decade of constant training and work. "You are of course right, Scion Potter." He brought up the video files that Tony had brought to them before. He wasn't the happiest person when he found out about Harry and Tony's use of manipulation, but it had to be done for them to keep a spy within Voldemort's ranks. "Would you like to verify the footage as coming from your old weapon?"

Harry walked to the podium, scanning through it. "That's the footage. It cuts out abruptly after my arm was severed however."

The footage revealed much to those who had not seen it. Several members of the Wizengamot who had been firm on their ideals that Voldemort was dead and buried and nothing whatsoever would change their minds on the issue began to realise just how wrong they were. The hardliners who had secretly supported the Dark Lord had been ecstatic when the news first reached them from actual marked Death Eaters. They kept neutral faces within the Wizengamot chambers of course, since they couldn't risk losing power until the Dark Lord had taken over. Those who fought against the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord felt their stomachs drop as the realisation that he had truly returned sank into them.

Harry noticed that the Wizengamot as a whole was beginning to become worried. He cleared his throat, stopping the footage. "There we have it. The Minister for Magic may not like the fact that the Dark Lord has returned during his tenure as Minister, but we cannot allow one man's political career to be what's determined at the moment. The Dark Lord has proven that he can somehow survive the backlash of the Killing Curse. I don't know if this magic is the same one that protected me, but in all honesty, we need to focus on what we're doing.

"Long ago, when the British Ministry first formed, we created this council as a sort of buffer between the Minister of Magic, and the Departments that make up the Ministry. All of our ancestors signed agreements. We would help guide the Minister of Magic to greatest, and yet many of us here agree with the whining of a man who cares more about what the public thinks of him than he does about the magical population." Several boos were heard from several men he knew were currently trying to bribe Fudge. "We are on the brink of war! Voldemort has managed to bring several of his inner circle back to him. We cannot allow the Minister's asinine plan of cutting Auror training to be his stance on the issue."

"And what would you suggest, boy?" One of the older members asked in a condescending tone. "Hide behind wards?"

"No." Harry frowned. This was it. He was either about to capture the attention of everyone he needed to, or sabotage his only chance of taking the seat until his seventeenth birthday. "I suggest we do what should have been do the second the Death Eaters were captured. All known Death Eaters in Azkaban prison should be executed before a prison break is organised by the Dark Lord. We must show that his main lieutenants will not be able to return to his service. "We must show that the Ministry stands united against the scum that is the Dark Lord."

"You're talking about massacring purebloods!" Another old man shouted.

"No offense, sir," Harry moved his gaze to the man. "But I'm standing here, the son of a pureblood, from a family that can trace its lineage all the way back to the Roman Empire, who is the last living member of his fucking family!" He snapped out. "Voldemort started this massacre when he attacked different families. The McKinnons, the Longbottoms, the Prewetts and many others, all crippled to the point of extinction or wiped out." He spoke icily, his eyes shining with anger. "And yet you care about the _animals_ who branded themselves so they could murder, rape, maim and torture others? It is people like you who are responsible for the situation we are currently facing! If you hadn't been so set in sparing these people in the trials, then Voldemort's power base would be nothing."

"How dare you?!" The man glared at him. "I lost my son in the war!"

"And yet you try to protect his murderers? Then you spit on his memory." Harry replied composedly. "You spit on his memory, and the memory of any loved one who died because of them. You disgrace your family's name." He clenched his fist. "I stand here with one arm, and my only crime in Voldemort's eyes? My maternal grandparents were muggles. Ordinary muggles who died before I was born." He chuckled humourlessly. "We are currently standing in a room that shows just how advanced we've become in the thirteen years since Voldemort first ran away." He noticed several people nodding their heads at his words. "It saddens me that people are trying to justify the actions of these _terrorists_ and their Master. I believe it is time we took a proper stance against the Death Eaters and the corruption of the Fudge Administration."

"You speak as if you have your seat, Scion Potter." One of the elderly ladies spoke softly. "We still need to take a vote on your accession."

"Of course, Lady Longbottom." Harry bowed his head. "But we both know that my accession is needed. The Wizengamot has been split too long on matters. Not to offend you all, but you need a fresh pair of eyes. And once my new arm is ready, you're going to need someone with an iron fist…pardon the pun."

"Funny, because you're currently wearing glasses like the rest of us." One old man chuckled lightly. "Bad choice of words, lad."

Harry chuckled alongside him. "I'm impressed, someone with a sense of humour. I thought the legends were false." He joked lightly, smiling at the man. "Take your vote, but please think on my words. Know, more than ever, we must stand united."

Dumbledore had to do a double take once Harry finished talking. It brought back to him a single memory, one that several of the older members of the chamber seemed to remember as well. He sounded exactly like Charlus did when he spoke out against the Grindelwald campaign. He tapped his wand against the pedestal. "In front of each of you is a piece of parchment with a quill. Each will vote either yay or nay on the accession of Harry Potter to Lord of the Potter Family. Please, consider our country's need for unity as you vote."

Harry watched carefully as everyone wrote down their vote on the parchment provided. The papers began to magically float towards two baskets in the centre of the room. One by one, they separated and went into one of the baskets, until both baskets were filled. He turned his head towards the Chief Warlock, holding his breath as the votes were tallied.

"By a slim margin of 27 to 22, Harry James Potter has been awarded the title of Lord James Potter." Dumbledore spoke calmly, though Harry could see the joy within his eyes. "As is traditional whenever someone gains their Lordship or Ladyship, the floor is open to Lord to give not only a speech, but to offer a piece of legislation to bring towards this body. Lord Potter," He gestured his hand to Harry.

Harry moved to the centre of the room, holding out his right hand. The scion ring shone brightly as he held up his hand, clearing his throat. "I, Harry James Potter, do hereby claim the Lordship of my ancestors. I vow loyalty to the Wizengamot, and to my family. So, mote it be." He watched as the scion ring began to brightly glow, closing his eyes as the weight of the ring increased. When his eyes opened, a large ornate ring had replaced the ring. He smiled a little to himself, turning to the room. "Today marks a new day. For too long the Potter seat sat without a Potter at its helm. I've already said what I wanted to say to this body, so I'll just bring my item to the table." He rested his arm at his side. "I believe monitoring for the Dark Mark should be implemented within the next few weeks." He glanced towards Lucius and the other 'Dark' aligned members. "Of course, those known to be under the Imperius will be understandably excused from this law."

Dumbledore hid a smile once Harry finished talking. The boy had instantly managed to both shake up the establishment, while also giving false security to the members of the Wizengamot that they both knew to be Death Eaters. It was genius. He noticed that the Dark aligned members were actually nodding their heads in agreement. "All those opposed?" It was amazing to see that none raised their hands. "Motion passed. The DMLE will be told of the new ruling. Any further business?" Again, there was silence. "Sounds like we should head home then."

Harry moved away from the crowd, meeting up with his friends and family outside the room. He grinned to himself as they made their way towards the exit. "Well?"

"One of them passed a note to that Auror at the door." Susanna spoke in hushed tones. "He also handed a bag of coins."

Harry nodded his head. "How many are outside?"

"I counted fifteen." Happy's voice cut into the conversation. "I'm loving the invisibility penetrating goggles are amazing by the way. I'm looking at what can only be described as an ambush. Be careful."

Harry turned to his mother. "Use the floo. You and Maria are going to the Penthouse. You too, Tony." He squeezed Hermione's hand. "You and Ron go to the Burrow. We've got to handle this."

Kitty frowned. "We're not ready for a fight."

Harry smirked a little. "No one is ever ready for a fight, Kitty." He tapped his watch with the tip of his chin. "Gear's primed. Got your disguises ready?"

"Yes." The three replied.

Harry cracked his neck carefully. "Kitty, you're the leader. We go at your call."

Kitty smiled a little when he said that. "In that case…Avengers, assemble!"

 **-HS-**

The first Death Eater to reveal himself attacked one of the Aurors, sending several killing curses towards the man. He watched in glee as the man fell to the ground, dead before his body even hit the gravel. "The time for Lord Voldemort to remind you of his power is here, servants."

As the large group of Death Eaters materialised around the small crowd of people, one of them noticed an odd sight. "What the fuck is that?!"

The sight of what could only be described as a blue demon caused several of the Death Eaters to pale. The other people beside it however made them laugh. Two women were dressed in odd leather style gear. Both wore masks around their mouths, but one of them seemed to actually melt into the wall to avoid spells. The other one vanished in an instant, reappearing behind the others and knocking one of the Death Eaters out.

A man with a metal arm drove his arm into one of the DE's stomach, sending the man into the wall. His golden eyes and hair seemed out of place within England, but it was his soft voice that caused many of them to believe him to be nothing more than a foreigner. "I am Elric, remember my name for it shall be the last thing you peons shall ever hear." He grabbed one of them by the collar, tossing him towards Susanna.

The Aurors didn't know what the hell to think. Whoever the trio of humans and whatever the hell kind of creature the blue thing was had managed to scatter the Death Eaters into smaller, more manageable groups to fight. The one with golden eyes and hair was fighting against three of them, dodging their spells and traps easily. He was acrobatic, that was for sure, but the impressive thing was the speed in which he fought. The masked women had two very different kind of fighting styles. The one who could melt into walls used it to her advantage, knocking Death Eaters out cold. The other one employed a mixture of invisibility spells and deception to attack her opponents.

The blue creature disappeared several times, appearing around the different Death Eaters and knocking them to the floor. The group didn't seem to employ lethal tactics, so the Aurors focused on providing covering fire to them. Only when two of them brandished wands against the Death Eaters did the Aurors realise that this group was magical. It didn't take too long after that for the combined powers of both groups to disburse the Death Eaters. A couple had escaped but from the group of twelve, they had managed to capture eight.

"I believe you gentlemen have it from here." Elric crossed his arms.

"Who are you?" One of the Aurors asked. "We're going to have to bring you all in. You certainly helped us a lot, but we have to follow protocol."

Elric chuckled. "I'm sorry, but we have to get going." He bowed his head. "My name is not important to you. But if you must, then you may call me by Elric."

"I am Nightcrawler." The blue creature bowed its head.

"I'm known by many names, but you can call me, Mirage." The woman who kept vanishing spoke softly.

"You may call me Ariel." The final woman bowed her head. "We're a group dedicated to the protection of the Magical World. Fear us not, for as long as you do not harm the innocent we shall not harm you, but we cannot come with you." She nodded her head to the one who identified as Nightcrawler. "We'll take our leave now. Goodbye, Aurors."

"Wait—damn!"

 **-HS-**

Harry remove the illusions from his body once they arrived at the agreed point. He sat down on the rock, taking deep breaths. The fact that they managed to get through that without an injury was equal parts luck and the element of surprise they had against the Death Eaters. Of course, such an element was now gone. "Well, that went well."

"Well?" Kitty frowned, removing her mask. "We were lucky. That was a fucking shit show. We're going to start working on our teamwork tomorrow. I'll contact Fury and have him bring us to one of their facilities. We need serious training if we're going to rely on all of our skills." She crossed her arms. "Harry, you shouldn't have said shit to those Aurors. We had the perfect chance to just vanish."

Harry frowned. "You don't understand how bad Fudge's complex is. He would have had us arrested for interfering with Auror protocols if we just vanished. Those Aurors, they'll spread the word that someone is fighting against the Death Eaters and it'll spread within the Ministry. We'll be seen as a force of good, something that we badly need."

"What we need is a name." Nightcrawler activated his disguise, leaning against the wall as he began to think of names. "Something that will counteract the fear people think of whenever they hear about the Death Eaters."

Susanna bit the inside of her cheek, pacing around. "Like the X-Men?" She smirked.

Harry's prosthetic hand began to clench its fingers one by one. "Kurt's right." He thought for a moment. "Dumbledore has the Order of the Phoenix. Voldemort has the Death Eaters. We need to be something different. Something impartial." He stood up. He took out the notes he kept from Flamel's journal. "We need a name that will inspire people."

Kitty sat down on one of the rocks, sighing. "Well, maybe we should put a pin in this for now." She ran a hand through her hair. "We're not ready for a team name right now anyway. We're nothing. The Fantastic Four, the X-Men, there are loads of impressive teams out there, and we're just four teenagers who don't know what the fuck we're doing." She threw a rock at a wall. "No offence."

Harry smiled at her. "We're pretty much fucked." He shrugged. "I mean we've a thief, a teenager who can phase through matter, a dude who can turn blue and an amputee with a metal arm. We're basically like some crappy B-Movie TV special from the mid-eighties." He laughed softly. "All we need now is a plucky secretary who either one of us or all of us end up sleeping with."

Susanna snorted. "Sounds like a plan. Nothing says 'team building' like a good old fashioned orgy." She laughed alongside Harry, shaking her head. "And I'm a reformed thief, excuse you."

" _The bag of galleons in your left pocket would beg to differ."_ P.R.O.N.G.S pointed out.

Kurt shook his head. "You know it's a sin to steal."

"Yeah." Susanna nodded sweetly. "But while you had your circus, I had the streets. We take solace in what we know." She snapped out, tossing the bag towards Harry. "That Auror is going to be pissed when he finds out that this is missing." She smirked.

Harry chuckled. "I think God can absolve you for that one, Susie."

Kurt didn't show any emotion. "She still needs to go to confession." He replied coolly.

Harry smiled. "Duly noted." He tapped the panel built into his left arm. "Our ride's here." He turned around the corner, opening the door to the town car. "Now, let's get back to the penthouse. I don't know about you lot, but I could really do with something to eat. Politics and vigilantism really gives you an appetite." He chuckled.

"Ah, the bemoaning of the politician. He's such a cliché." Susanna smirked, resting her head against the headrest. "I feel like Chinese."

"Italian." Kitty corrected her.

"Bulgarian." Kurt's stomach growled.

"You're all wrong. There's only one thing that could do right now. We need a large helping of Damocles' shepherd's pie."

"Does he use lamb or beef?" Susanna asked.

"Lamb!" Harry frowned. "Beef is cottage pie!"

"I'm in." Susanna nodded.

"Sounds good." Kitty shrugged, though her stomach made it sound like anything would do.

"As long as there's loads." Kurt chuckled.

 **A/N: I wanted to take a quick second to explain the inspiration of Kitty and Kurt in this story. A small part of Kitty's personality comes from the comics, while most comes from the X-Men: Evolution cartoon from the early 2000s, as does Kurt's. I loved that show when I was younger so I'm using it as a way to both explain their age and Kitty's maturity, since comics Kitty is one of the more mature members of the Junior X-Men. Another thing I'd like to clarify is what Susanna is there for.**

 **Susanna is a Technopath, like Harry. However, her research is more into body and voice manipulation, hence her ability to blend into crowds and vanish. Think of her as a magical Mystique with some serious sticky fingers and an attitude to match. She's an OC, but I wanted to her to seem as based in comic lore as the others.**

 **As for Harry's arm. In public, it resembles nothing more than a normal metallic arm. But whenever he fights, it changes into the runic version, which allows him to regulate and enhance his magic, strength and other senses.**

 **Until next time. Please review and tell me what you think. Flames are read and taken as constructive criticism. Mean comments are taken with a grain of salt. Anyone insults P.R.O.N.G.S and I'mma smack a muthafucker.**


	26. Family

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Family**

Howard Stark's old lab had become a gold mine of innovations for Harry, and the other members of his team. The lab was split into four separate floors, each one designed to work on different forms of technology. The main compartment, which lay on the fourth floor, designed and utilised several different vehicles and aerial weaponry. Harry hadn't really spent much time in the vehicle area since they found the place. There were a couple of experimental vehicles that he didn't really know the use for, so until he finished reading through the notes that Howard left.

The third floor contained a lab filled with expired chemicals that Harry had safely removed and disposed of. It seemed that until the day he died, Howard had been working on a way to stabilise the formula within Jarvis' blood. He had placed those notes separate from the rest of the notes he kept around the place. The equipment was so impressively up to date compared to some equipment found in top hospitals. It amazed him that Howard could find such technology back in the early nineties.

The second floor was a treasure trove of designs for energy sources, armour plating, energy conductors and all manner of different weapons that could be useful for the Elric Project. Harry had instantly placed one of the charging systems for his left arm in the area. Until he could find a way for the arm to charge on his body without poisoning his blood stream or resorting to placing an arc reactor in his own body, he'd have to make do with the arm only being used during the day. He had found promising items within the lab, but he didn't have the time to go through them all at the moment.

The first floor was designed as an apartment for the Stark Family to use as a bomb shelter in case of Nuclear War. It had been built during the height of the Cold War in fairness. The 'apartment' was more like the Penthouse in London than a bomb shelter. It had three bedrooms and two bathrooms, as well as a dining room and parlour. Harry had spent a lot of time outfitting it with everything the team would need to feel comfortable when they were in-between missions.

Harry and Kitty sat near the main computer, messing around with the mechanics of Harry's left arm. "Thanks for the help, Kitty. I'm still not used to having one arm." He weakly chuckled, smiling sadly at the teen. The two had been trying to bond since the mission in London, which meant most interactions were slightly awkward between them. Kitty had a way of simply reducing any of Harry's more impractical ideas to nothing more than dust, something Harry thought only Hermione could do.

"Losing a limb will take time to adjust to." Kitty held the goggles close to her eyes, soldering the last wire onto the new frame. "Professor Xavier once said it took him nine months to adjust to the wheelchair when he had his accident." She replied, removing the goggles. "Ok, now what?"

"Take the new covering and carefully place the frame into it." Harry fixed his glasses into place. He moved his chair back, activating the attachment system. "I know it might seem paranoid, but with everything going on, I might need this arm if shit ever hits the fan." He weakly chuckled, wincing as the nerve in his shoulder connected with the artificial limb.

"I'm not judging." Kitty slid the frame over the new covering. "I think it might be smart to have a spare arm if you lose your right one." She placed the new arm on the rack, locking it up for him. "Are you prepared for training?"

"I will be." Harry nodded. "It's been a while since I've had to preform around people like a show monkey. The Tri-Wizard Tournament was just the beginning for all of this, Kitty. I want to be better. I _need_ to be stronger. Voldemort's more than I ever thought possible. I thought I had the advantage when I stopped his magic, but he's as physically strong as he is magically. My magic has increased in power over the last year, but my physical strength just took a major beating after all that happened. And as for that mission last week, while we managed to stop the Death Eaters, we didn't really show unity. We were fractured and all over the place. We need cohesion. We need leadership. And that can't be me. We need someone with the experience you've gotten through the X-Men."

Kitty smirked. "Are you done?" She asked softly. "Harry, in the months I've been around you, I've learnt one thing," She crossed her arms. " _You_ are supposed to be our leader! You know what to do. You're hiding behind this whole 'lack of experience' thing like it's the be all and end all of everything. Shadowcat isn't the Leader of our team. That honour goes to Elric. Nightcrawler, Susanna and I are just along for the ride."

Harry frowned. "We'll agree to disagree." He didn't want to be the leader. He just wanted to be part of the team. "Now, let's focus on what we need for our S.H.I.E.L.D training."

 **-HS-**

Potter Manor had gone through many different rebuilds in the years since its first foundation was laid nearly three hundred years ago. Since Harry's run as Lordship of House Potter, the house had become modernised to a certain degree. The top floor had been turned into a smaller version of the lab he had in Howard Stark's old bunker, while the rest of the house had hidden cameras as well as the portraits to tell him who was who and what they were doing. He had the library under lockdown, as well as important parts of the Manor.

While Harry trusted Dumbledore completely, he didn't trust some of the names that were included in the list of Order members. He sat down in the large meeting room he had set up for the Order to use. He sat beside his mother and step-father, clenching and unclenching his metal fist. "I want to thank you all for allowing me to sit in on these meetings." He turned his head towards Mrs Weasley. "I know some people didn't want me sitting in on them, but I believe that we're better united than fractured." He felt his mother's hand on his back, encouraging him to continue. "Voldemort's most likely gotten a large chunk of his forces back. What does your spy say about things, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore smiled towards Harry. "Two thirds of the Death Eaters have re-joined their Dark Lord so far. The remaining third are safely behind bars in Azkaban, though we believe a prison break will be tried in the immediate future. After all, both Bellatrix Lestrange and Augustus Rookwood both remain imprisoned behind the walls of that island."

"What countermeasures do we have in place?" Sirius asked, messing with the glass of scotch in his hand. "Azkaban may be damn near impregnable, but it does have small windows that could be used to escape." He suddenly smirked. "Believe me, I know them all." A small number of people chuckled at the reminder of the man's imprisonment and escape.

"Right now, we're going to invest in some stealth tech." Tony spoke up, bringing up several of his designs. "Harry and I are going to outfit his magic suppressor drones with the latest in retroactive panels. They'll allow the drones to fly around undetected. After that, we'll have smaller navel drone ships prepared to take out any broom riders who decide to start a breakout."

Harry rolled his eyes. "We're also going to bring this to the warden of Azkaban. He's an old friend of my grandfather, so he'll be liable to listen to me." He brought up several different designs. "We're also going to upgrade Hogwarts security measures a tad. These new suits of armour have spell resistant metals blended into them, as well as the ability to shoot out tranquiliser darts."

"Impressive," Professor McGonagall responded. "But is there any risk to the student body with these suits?"

"None whatsoever, Professor." Harry assured her. "The suits will be focused on people perceived as threats." He noticed several of the Professors perking up at that. He had worked out all the kinks himself. It wasn't easy to work out the system at first. The design of the dart guns alone made it impractical until he was able to fuse them into the suits shoulder panels. "We have fifty units ready now, with a further hundred units hopefully ready by Christmas."

Snape frowned. "And what of the Ministry? We're going to be doomed when the goddamned DEATH EATERS decide to take over!"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Pet Death Eaters should be seen and not heard." He responded coldly. "You're here because the Headmaster has vouched for you. But I still hold you responsible for the loss of my arm." He clenched his fist. "So, I should probably show you how good it is."

Snape brandished his wand. "Are you threatening me, Potter?" He asked icily.

Harry grabbed his own wand. "Anytime. Anyplace, Snape." He frowned. "Tell me something. Do you want to die here and now?" He tightened his grip on his wand.

Dumbledore frowned, sending two low level stunners towards the two of them. "Can we please get on with a civilised meeting?" He asked, rubbing his forehead in frustration. "Merlin help me, I thought my summers were to be student free…"

"He started it!" Both said at the same time.

Dumbledore sighed. "Enough!" He raised his voice. "Both of you will act civil to one another, or I will be forced to put you both on the ground like common drunks!"

Harry frowned. "I'm not the one who's teaching Dark Lords how to sever body parts without the ability to be reattached." He relaxed his arm. "And he's not the one who has to suffer pain whenever his nerve connects to a fucking wire…"

Snape bit the inside of his cheek. "And you're not the one who never knows if he's going to die when he goes to the Dark Lord. The one who toes the line of Light _and_ Dark to ensure that Voldemort never wins…you act like a Lord, but you are still an impatient child!"

Harry sighed. "I may have a solution for your problem, but it'll come at a cost."

"Like what?" Snape asked, his tone laced with contempt.

"Like you becoming a decent human being to students!" Harry retorted. "I have my own spy planted within Voldemort's ranks. One who I refuse to name. They'll supply us with information and then you won't need to put your life at risk. But, I will need you to do something against Voldemort."

Snape frowned. "You think one can simply walk out of the Dark Lord's ranks and not be killed?!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. "You know nothing of your enemy if you truly are that naïve."

"I wasn't saying walk out." Harry smirked. "I'm saying, I can give you a new identity. We fake the death of Severus Snape, who no one is going to miss, and you take on a new identity so you can either teach like a normal person or fuck off to another country." He spoke casually. "Of course, we'd have to carve that Dark Mark off your arm." He sliced into an apple with a knife, popping the sliver into his mouth as he stared at the Potions Master.

"Back to my original question. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THEY TAKE OVER?!" Snape bellowed as loud as he could, his nostrils flaring.

"We let them." Harry responded, earning glares from many of the people in the room. "We've set up the greatest security measures the Ministry has ever seen. We're going to use that security against them. Let them take the Ministry, but we ensure the building is deserted when they arrive. We use holographic tech to mimic people being around." He noticed a couple of people perking up. "We build a new hidden Ministry and use the old one as a crypt. Collapse it on the bastards and take all of them out at once." He fixed his glasses into place.

Not a sound could be heard after Harry finished his suggestion. Something so cold and heartless sounded like something that Voldemort himself would have thought of at the height of the First Blood War. "The brat needs a full psychological profile!" Snape moved a couple of seats away from the brat.

"And you need your head examined for creating such a dangerous spell when you were only a year older than me!" Harry pointed out, finishing his speech. "Look, I want to make sure that we win this war, but we have to make them think they've won it at certain parts. We'll have to make sure we work on everything meticulously. I'm going to be working closely with Professor Dumbledore and Tony."

"Sounds like the beginning of a solid plan." Dumbledore downed the remaining scotch in his glass. "Now, if there are no further headaches, we're going to conclude this meeting." He banged the gavel, standing from his seat. "Next meeting will be sometime in September. I'll ensure Mr Potter has detention on that particular night."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'll prepare a prank." He responded drolly.

 **-HS-**

The rest of the day passed by relatively relaxing for Harry and his family. Maria was starting to cling to him a little more, but he didn't really mind to be honest. He had Maria in his arms as he made his way to the dining room. Sirius and Tony were discussing some sort of business deal about a new company idea. The team were sitting with Hermione and Ron, who were finally able to make time to be around him. The two of them had spent a couple of weeks with their families, which was well needed after such an eventual year in school.

Hermione had been distant with him, something that he instantly picked up on. He didn't know if it was because he had done something wrong in the relationship, so he had decided to wait and see what happened, but that wasn't cutting it at the moment. She was warming up slowly, and he knew that Hermione would only be like that if it was for a good reason.

He fed Maria small pieces of fruit from his dessert, grinning as she giggled at each new flavour. His mum was sitting across from him, taking out her camera as usual. He couldn't remember the last time she didn't have it in hand. There had to be at least a thousand pictures taking of the siblings in the last two weeks alone. He posed for as many as she wanted. She had survived with only baby pictures of him after all those years.

He placed his sister in the highchair, kissing her forehead before leaving the room with Hermione. He walked out to the gardens with her, sitting under one of the old chairs. "Is there something wrong?"

"My parents want to have you over." Hermione replied softly. "I'm just worried what they'll say when they discover what happened to your arm…they haven't been too happy with the magical world as of late. Between happiness sucking demons and tournaments that had me delved deep into a lake, they're talking about pulling me out of school after my O.W.L exams…"

Harry froze at that. "Don't worry. It'll be a quiet year. Scout's honour." He held up the two fingers in a gesture, smiling weakly. The idea of losing Hermione didn't make him feel right. He wrapped his arm around her. "And I'll make sure they fall in love with me. Don't worry."

Hermione's eyes teared up. "I hope so…" She whispered, holding onto him. "I don't want to lose my friends, or my magic…"

 **-HS-**

Harry dressed in the best of his casual wear the next day. Jarvis was in the process of filling up the Jag, while Happy and his newest bodyguard were prepping the plans for the day. It seemed whenever he introduced someone into the magical world, they were instantly being saddled into becoming one of his goddamned babysitters. Rhodes was the best of the best though. He tried his best to fix his hair into something respectable. "Check on Hermione's vital signs for me, P.R.O.N.G.S. Look for anything wrong with her."

" _She's tired."_ P.R.O.N.G.S responded instantly. _"She's also hungry, though Damocles is in the process of feeding her. Are you sure you'll be able to woo her mother and father?"_

Harry glanced down at his metallic arm, sighing to himself. "Yeah, I can do it." He made his way to the bathroom, adjusting his new glasses into place. "Activate the new features." His glasses became fogged for a moment, until an interface brought up several statistics on things such as humidity and temperature. A quick press of the frame connecting each lens to the nose guard, he was able to activate the system's newest feature. "Talk to me boys."

" _Seven magical signatures in the manor."_ J.A.R.V.I.S spoke first.

" _Five non-magical signatures, two animal signatures and one robotic signature. Analysing: the robotic signature is your arm."_ P.R.O.N.G.S concluded. _"I believe we can count this as a success, sir."_

Harry grinned. "Activate comms. Jarvis, please prep the new toy. We'll be taking Shadow with us. I'll also need room for Tony, Mum, Maria and the goons."

Jarvis chuckled through the microphone. _"I'll prepare everything. Which goons shall you be bringing with you?"_

"We'll take Rhodes and Barton today." Harry sighed. Between Romanoff, Barton, Happy, Rhodes and whoever else Fury was going to saddle him with, he wasn't exactly having the best days when it came to leaving the Manor. Now he also had the Order breathing down his back. He tossed his comb at the mirror. "Scratch that. Bring Happy and Rhodes. No S.H.I.E.L.D agents today."

" _I'll tell them to prepare. We'll leave in ten minutes."_ Jarvis replied coolly. The old butler was one to quickly judge Harry's stress levels. The boy's emotions were known to bubble to the surface easily. Today was going to be a struggling experience for the boy.

Harry walked to the dining room, smiling at Hermione. He kissed her cheek, taking her hand as they went towards the manor's new garage. Harry had gone like a child to a candy shop when it came to having a few vehicles of his own. Of course, they had to be placed in Lily's name for the moment, but that didn't stop Harry from spending a lot of money on cars, bikes, a couple of small trucks for moving items and a large camper van for holidays. "Jarvis, is she ready?"

Jarvis grinned. "Indeed, she is, sir."

Harry couldn't help but give a childish squeal of glee as the car came into view. When it came to the piece de resistance of his cars, it had to be the limo. It was a modern car with a vintage design that just oozed class and style, and he had to have some style today. He hopped into the back of it, examining the leather seats. "I love a seasoned classic." He rested his head against the rest. "Mr. Jarvis, at your leisure."

Jarvis chuckled. "It'll be a great pleasure." He flexed his fingers for a moment, before allowing the engine to roar to live once more.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the two of them. "Boys and their toys." She placed her seatbelt on, watching as the rest of the party entered the vehicle. Harry had one of his tablets in his hand, checking through several different designs for the Iron Man project. "Why are you still playing with those suits?"

Harry smirked. "I'm adamant to find at least one metal that'll reduce the weight by at least one third." He admitted, closing up the data. "But today, we're having a day off. Kurt and Kitty are back in New York for the day, spending some time with their adopted family, Susanna's here with her new family. It's a family day."

Susanna scoffed. "I'm the nanny. Nothing more, nothing less." She reminded him, feeding small pieces of cut grapes to the little baby. She didn't need family. As long as S.H.I.E.L.D and the others kept off her back, she didn't mind living with the Starks and Potter. They were good people.

Hermione opened the mini bar, taking out several various soft drinks, juices and waters for the people, watching Maria closely. "She's starting to get her teeth." She smiled at the baby girl, making cooing noises to her. Maria was looking more like Lily every day, but her eyes were similar to her father's. It was a funny comparison, since Harry had always been compared to his father, except for the colour of his eyes.

"Don't we know it?" Susanna gave the baby a gentle poke on the nose. "She's barely sleeping. And the only time she will sleep, is when her big brother lets her fall asleep on his chest." She watched his cheeks burn up. For all his bravado and arrogance, Harry was nothing more than a softie.

Hermione watched her boyfriend blush a little. "That's sweet. But how does she deal with your snoring?" She asked curiously. She remembered hearing him snore once at the Burrow. While Ron was in a league of his own, Harry wasn't that far off.

Harry chuckled nervously. "You should hear Maria. It's inhuman." He watched Maria put her arms out. "Sorry, Mari, but no cuddles when the car's moving." He held onto her hand, letting her play with his fingers. The usual clicking noise of his mother's camera caused him to shake his head. "How many SD cards have you gone through this month?"

"She's using a 256GB card, but it's nearly full." Tony played with one of the new items he had been working on. None of them really knew what it was, but Hermione had a bad feeling that it was going to be used around her parents. Tony was a man-child at the end of the day. He wasn't one for understanding boundaries.

Lily didn't respond to the gentle ribbing. "You know, the sofa at Potter Manor isn't the best. I don't think it's been changed since James' grandfather bought it. So, unless you want to try it out for a week, behave!" She warned him, flicking his nose with her index finger.

Harry stayed silent on the whole thing. His mother didn't give idle threats to people. He watched as the street finally came into view. "Rhodes, Happy, you're going to do your damnedest not to be seen by anyone." He turned to the two men. "There's a café down the road, go there and have a nice meal. If there's any problems, I'll have one of the drones go to you."

 **-HS-**

Portia Granger smiled as her daughter's boyfriend left the car, opening the door for the rest of them. She couldn't help but laugh at the way her husband ogled the car. Hermione seemed to be slightly withdrawn, which worried her immensely. She walked over to the group, sweeping her daughter into a hug. "Welcome to our home." She noticed the elderly man. "Are you Harry's grandfather?"

Jarvis gave a smile. "I'm the Stark family butler." He knew he looked a lot younger than he was, but grandfather was pushing it. He was at the age where he could have been the boy's great-grandfather. "Though I am the voice of reason whenever Mrs. Stark is away."

Harry smiled. "Doctor Granger, it's a pleasure to see you again, ma'am." He kissed her hand. He turned to Hermione's father. "She's a modern car, but I had to get a custom shell and interior. The framework of the car is close enough to a standard stretched out Hummer, but the design is based on old cars from the '30s, mostly '31 Lincolns and '50s muscle cars."

"Impressive." Samuel grinned, checking out the interior of the car. "And tell me this, what in the world made you choose a '31?"

Harry shrugged. "Class." Was his simple reply. He crossed his arms, noticing the grin on the man's face. "Wanna take her for a spin?"

"Not now." Samuel chuckled. "But definitely letter." He assured the young man, licking his lips. "What's she packing under the hood? 400HP? 500HP?"

Harry smirked to himself. "More like some Stark tech, with some extra additions by myself. Tony and I are adamant that we're going to finally finish Howard Stark's dream of a flying car."

Samuel raised an eyebrow. "I saw one of his designs once. Back in '88 when I was overseas. Damn thing hovered for a moment, then just fell flat on the ground and went on fire. Swore to myself there and then that when they finally did bring them out, I wouldn't get into one to save my life." He walked alongside the lad. "So, I heard you gave you a little upgrade? Hermione's been gushing about how you designed, fitted and installed a fully operational, custom fitted metallic prosthetic arm."

"What can I say?" Harry chuckled, rubbing his new arm nervously. He removed his jacket, showing the arm to Hermione's father. "It wasn't easy, and the prototype's wiring was crappy enough that I had to completely redo it a week later." He gulped a little. "I respect your decision, sir. If my daughter had such a reckless idiot as a boyfriend, I'd probably pull her out of the fire too." He sat down on one of the benches that littered their garden, running his hand through his hair. "Doesn't mean I wouldn't be heartbroken without her in my life."

Samuel smiled at the kid. "Look, I'm going to break all traditions and tell you that I actually think you're a good kid, Harry." He sighed softly. "You have no idea how happy I am that it was just witchcraft. Hermione, she means the world to me. When she was born, I was on top of the world." He pulled out a worn picture from his wallet. "Portia and I always thought we'd never have our own child. We were married five years when she experienced the first of many miscarriages…" His smile began to fade. "Hermione was the light of our lives, then the magic started. We thought she was just resourceful. We'd walk in and she'd have biscuits, books, anything she wanted. Then she lost it one day at school. The school put it down to bad plumbing, but I know that it was her lack of control." He glanced at Harry. "Who is Voldemort? And what does he want with you?"

"Honestly? I don't know what he wants with me, but I know why he wants me dead." Harry answered truthfully, clenching his robotic hand. It was a habit he didn't really want to continue, but it calmed him when he got like that. "He's the magical equivalent of Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini with the ego of Julius Caesar and the unfeeling emotionless of a sociopath." He closed his eyes. "He's someone who could have been the greatest wizard since Merlin, had he not gone down such a dark path." He laughed hollowly. "He's after me because I'm only person to survive the Avada Kedavra spell. He's after me for his own ego…so he can finally say all his enemies have died…"

Samuel frowned. "Jesus fucking Christ." He whispered to himself. He shook his head for a moment, clicking his tongue. "How many times have you encountered him since you started in that school?"

"Once in my first year, when he was a head on the back of someone else's head. Once the following year as a spirit in a diary. And then I fought him just a few months ago when I was in the final task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament." Harry opened his eyes. "I'm going to fight him, Samuel. I'm going to kill him. Not because he's evil. Not because he's a sociopath. I'm doing this, because that fucking bastard attacked my family, put our Hermione in a hospital wing for months and I won't let my sister live in a world where he's alive." He gulped. "Like I said, I understand if you want to pull her out of the wizarding world…"

Samuel couldn't believe what he was hearing. The boy spoke reminded Samuel of his own grandfather. He stood up for a moment. "Follow me." He whispered.

Harry followed the man into the home, entering what could only be described as his study. It was nicely decorated. Books littered the shelves and a varnished table. It didn't seem to be a work office, though he doubted the Grangers held a practice in their home. "Is there where you pull the shotgun?" He joked.

Samuel smiled at the lad. "Something like that." He took down a case, passing it to him. "This belonged to my grandfather. He gave it to me the day Hermione was born. He said to me, 'When there comes a day when you have to protect your little girl, use this.' I didn't know what to think at the time." He opened the case, revealing an old school army pistol. "This is the Automatic Pistol, Calibre. 45, M1911A1. Standard British Issue firearm for the British Army during World War 2. I want you to have it." He closed the case, passing it towards the young man. "I know this is probably useless to you, considering you can make explosions happen with a wave of a wand, but I want you to think of this whenever you think about what you said to me today."

Harry took the case. "I can't take a family heirloom from you, sir. But I appreciate the gesture."

Samuel shook his head. "My grandfather reminded me that this isn't an heirloom, it's an object of war and destruction." He explained. "Harry, I don't want you to fire this gun, I want you to understand that war isn't something a child should have to fight. The reason we want Hermione out of your world, is because I'm terrified that she'll follow you into battle and then we'll lose our only daughter."

Harry sighed. "I-I…" He ran a hand through his hair, closing the blinds with a wave of his hand. "Activate." He spoke softly, feeling the armour adhere to his body. The runes on his arms activated, revealing the runic schematics from their hiding spots. "Hermione won't be fighting. Ron won't be fighting. I'm going to take the fight to them as someone else."

Samuel snorted. "Son of Iron Man, eh?" He shook his head again, glancing at the armour. "And this is going to keep Hermione safe?"

"She won't be fighting, Samuel." Harry frowned. "I won't let them put their lives on the line for me. I'm going to keep my own identity safe as well." He activated the illusionary system for his face. "I know I'm asking a lot from you and your wife, but I will lay my life on the line, just to keep her alive."

Samuel scoffed. "She couldn't just date the ginger. She had to go for the bloody hero." He took the case back. "Now, why don't we take that car for a spin?"

 **-HS-**

Hermione, Lily, Maria and Portia sat under a patio table in the front garden, watching the men play in Harry's car. "Why is it intelligent women like ourselves all fell in love with blockheads?" Portia shook her head, glancing at the baby. "I never did find out how you got back into Harry's life, Mrs Stark."

Lily smiled sadly. "I was under the impression that my son had died the same night as my late husband…" She cuddled Maria close to her, kissing her forehead. "I lost my mind. Literally. I had a complete mental breakdown. Those were the worst years of my life and I didn't really know what to do. Luckily, I had Tony there to guide me back to life." She felt tears come to her eyes. "Then, I found my son when we came to the Stark Expo in London."

Portia smiled sadly. "At least you have each other again." She placed a hand on the woman's arm. She turned her gaze to Hermione. "So, I've seen a few pictures of you and your beau with this little bundle of joy. Playing house now, are we?" She teased.

Hermione blushed. "No." She felt her face heat up even more. "Harry and Maria are inseparable, so we end up spending a lot of time together." She picked the baby into her arms. "And she's a really protective sister, aren't you sweetheart?" She cooed.

Portia laughed gently. "I remember when I used to be able to tease you like that years ago. But it's obvious that Harry's having a big impact in your life now that you and he are a couple." She finished her lemonade, staring over at the men, who were laughing like maniacs as they drove around the neighbourhood. "We'll have the bobbies here if they don't stop screaming like that." She shook her head. "I'm guessing your husband is a gearhead too?"

Lily nodded. "I can't remember the last time I was able to get at least one day without getting some car oil, lubricants or other crap on me from one of Tony's hugs." She watched Hermione and Maria interact. "And as for those pictures. I have plenty more." She assured the woman. "Thousands."

"Millions!" Harry corrected her as the boys approached. "I feel like I have the paparazzi around me at all times."

Lily took out her camera, snapping a picture with a smirk on her face. "Merlin help me, he's becoming more like his godfather, step-father and father every day." She finished her lemonade. "Portia, you and Samuel simply have to come visit us at Potter Manor. You've been kind enough to invite us over, and we'd like to extend the same courtesy to you."

Harry's eyes lit up. "Yes!" He agreed immediately. "Mum's right. You can spend a week with us. That way Hermione can show off some of her magic. I finally put up the same wards that every other pureblood house has." He jumped around a little. "We might even be able to get in a bit of hunting!"

Samuel's expression quickly mirrored Harry. "Can we love? It's been so long since I've been able to get in a spot of hunting. And if it's a manor, then it must have an incredible library."

Portia noticed her daughter's eyes lighting up the same way as her boyfriend and father. With an overly dramatic sigh worthy of the character her name was based off, she nodded her head. "A week away does sound nice." She smirked at Hermione. "And I'll be able to ensure that Romeo here's hands don't wander too much."

 **A/N: OK, so it's been a LONG time since I updated the story and I'm not going to give a load of excuses that no one wants to here. Adulthood has unfortunately caught up with me and I don't have as much free time as I used to. I'm going to try and be better this year and get out more content. Just know that I don't intend to let this story die until it's marked as complete. I'm working on other projects all the time too, so if it takes some time to put a chapter out, I apologise sincerely. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please leave me a review telling me what you think and if you have questions about the story in general. I'll try and do a Q &A on the next chapter if we have enough questions that won't require major spoilers. Bye everyone.**


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